Back To The Fields
by TheBaeTide
Summary: When the two ex high school sweethearts, Rick and Michonne, cross paths years later, they are forced to reacquaint themselves wiith one another, and they soon realise that they must figure out how to get on the same page, since they are parents after all. AU. Walkers. Daddy Rick. Mama Michonne. Slow-Burn.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One:

 _"How's your arm?"_

 _Rick had gotten into the habit of looking at his cast whenever someone mentioned it, as if he had to see for himself. He shrugged, still squinting away from the sun, "It's alright. Doesn't hurt or anythan'... it's starting to get annoying, though"_

 _Michonne tilted her head to the side as she inspected it, the large bush of hair she had tamed into a high ponytail following her. Her forehead wrinkled in a way that Rick found simply adorable, "When's it coming off?"_

 _"Six weeks?", He didn't mean for his answer to sound like a question, but he wasn't even certain if he knew._

 _"...Maybe we should get a ladder or something next time…"_

 _His eyes brows sprung up as his eyes widened, "Next time?"_

 _Michonne quickly grew bashful, her gaze falling to the grass beside her hand, "Um… I mean if you want to- we don't have to-"_

 _"I want to", He ejected hurriedly, "I liked it. A lot"_

 _A shy smile tugged on the corners of her lips, "Yeah?"_

 _"Yeah", He confessed in a quiet breath, "It was… great… Did you? Did you like it?"_

 _"Yeah", She nodded, finally looking up at him again, "But I think we should probably… get something next time?"_

 _Rick's confusion was evident on his face, "Huh?"_

 _Michonne hesitated to clarify, her eyes darting around them for a moment, "You know?... protection?"_

 _Rick's mouth opened, then snapped shut, then opened once again, and it was his turn to be embarrassed, "...I thought you haven't gotten a… a thang yet? Don't you need to get a… thang to get pregnant? Isn't that what it means?"_

 _"I think so, but… still?"_

 _Despite taking their young relationship to the next level only a few weeks beforehand, it was a testimony to their immaturity that neither could dare say the word 'Condom' or 'Period'._

 _Rick could easily see her worry, it was written all over her face, and it wasn't something he bared to witness so he eagerly nodded, hoping to put her mind at ease, "Yeah. Okay"_

 _"Good", She sighed, looking at the empty fields around them once more, and giving him the chance to admire her unknowingly, until she whipped her head back around to look at him, causing him to peer up to the bright sky instead, choosing to burn his retinas rather than get caught leering. She began to speak again, "I got an A on my Spanish test"_

 _He casually locked eyes with her again, his vision blurred, "Oh? That's great... You studied hard for it"_

 _"Thanks", She smiled, her full lips curling up into a smile, leading Rick to give her a goofy grin in return, "I can help you, if you want?"_

 _He huffed, "Sure. I mean, I'll probably still fail anyway but, okay"_

 _"You won't if I'm helping you?"_

 _"Yeah, but you're so pretty… it's hard to concentrate sometimes", The admission left him with such ease that he wished he could stand before a mirror to check he was still Rick Grimes._

 _Michonne dipped her head as she hid one of her shy smiles, a little whine escaping her, "Rick…"_

 _"It's true", He insisted, leaning towards her and nudging her shoulder with his. Sometimes he found himself feeling unbelievably comfortable around Michonne, able to lavish her with compliments when he saw her reaction, but god forbid she ever looked him in the eye, as he would return to being a stuttering fool in her presence._

 _"Thank you", She forced herself to meet his blue eyes with her brown ones, "You're great, too"_

 _The goofy grin made an appearance once again, "N-nah, I'm just… I'm just Rick…"_

 _"Yeah… but you're my Rick"_

 _Rick could easily picture every single blood vessel that his gangly body possessed racing to his face, leading him to rub the back of his neck nervously as he tried to remain calm, "Yeah?"_

 _"Yeah", She dropped her head on his shoulder, cosying up to him._

 _Rick was elated. Giddy enough to jump up and punch the air, but he wouldn't dare move now she was resting on him. Never. The sun was at its highest point without a cloud in the sky to block its view, and the vibrant green grass surrounding them swayed from the gentle breeze that occasionally swept by. It was a picture perfect scene; and he would do whatever he could to make it last._

 _Once he found a way around her large hair, he kissed the top of her forehead, and that goofy grin of his refused to budge._

..xoxo..

"I really like it here, dad"

Rick already knew what his son would say, so hearing the words leave his mouth just confirmed his suspicions. He slowly nodded, stroking his hand over his ever increasing beard, "So do I, don't think that I don't, it's just these people don't realise how good they've had it. They think the only thang they need to worry about is two walkers by the gate- they haven't seen the thangs we've seen- done the thangs we've done and to top it all off, they're not willing to learn. They're not willing to hear what we have to say and I don't have time to play by their rules. It's that kind of ignorance that gets people killed, and I refuse to put you or your sister in a position where _other_ people's stupidity puts you two in danger. I won't stand for it"

Carl's gaze was low, almost hidden under his father's sheriff's hat, and to anyone else it would appear as if the boy wasn't even paying attention, but Rick knew better. He could see that his son was absorbing his words, taking them into consideration. He finally nodded after several seconds, making eye contact with him once again, "I don't want anything to happen to you guys, either"

Rick was relieved, "I know. And like I said out there, from this point on, it's about survival. It's about making this place safe from every possible threat out there, and most importantly to me, it's making sure my family, all of us, can keep going. We made it this far, we won't give up now"

Carl nodded his head, his dark brows furrowing into a serious expression, "Yeah. You're right"

That was all Rick needed to hear, since his son's opinion was one that he held highly, after all.

The world they once knew had long gone, and with the living outnumbered by the dead, it was vital that he kept his family out of harm's way, and Rick was prepared to do anything to make that happen, even if it meant overrunning a small community they discovered only weeks prior.

It was an easy enough task within itself, as his group scared the original residents with their filthy appearance when they turned up, probably mistaking them for walkers, Rick had thought. It was clear that they were living on opposite ends of the spectrum, and he felt compelled to warn the naive people, to make them understand that they were like sitting ducks before they arrived, but he was met with immediate refusal, which he could only tolerate for so long.

When the opportunity presented itself to them, Rick and his group took their chance to make the new rules known, to let _his_ rules known.

Naturally, this installed even more fear in the people, and so it only made sense that the original residents scurried away when he marched the streets of Alexandria, but the way Rick saw it, they would soon be thanking him when they understood the errors of their ways.

It was after his brief talk with Carl, he made his way to one of the homes in the centre of the community, ready to get started on a certain rule in particular.

"Everyone should know how to use a weapon, and I don't care if they have to think about using it on me to do it, but it needs to happen now, Deanna"

The older woman looked at Rick with nothing but resentment, her once warm, brown eyes had grown hard and tired, "We don't allow just anyone to leave-"

"But if they need to, they should be able to protect themselves and the people around them. I lost one of my people when I let him go out with your inexperienced son", Rick pointed out firmly, "Then another one of yours tried to kill mine for calling them out on their way of doing thangs- I'm not allowing that to happen again"

"We lost our son, too Rick", Her husband added from beside her, looking equally withdrawn, his long slender frame dwarfing his wife's.

Truth be told, Rick hadn't really cared for their son, but as a father himself he tried not to show how little he cared, "Which is exactly why your people need to be trained. You still have another son, and you don't want him to walk out those gates and never come back because these people don't know what they're doing"

Deanna exhaled heavily, rubbing her forehead roughly as she set her elbows on the table, her chestnut hair falling like a curtain to cover her face, "We understand"

Rick was satisfied with that response, "Now I think this would go over better coming from you. I don't think I have too many fans on the other side of that door, and they would probably appreciate seeing a familiar face in front of them. I'll drive home the message to anyone who doesn't comply-"

"Uh, Deanna?", A tall man appeared at the door appearing sceptical, hiding one half of his body behind through door frame, "Aaron's back? He has new people…"

Rick's hand fell on his weapon, purely out of habit, and he started out of the room, "I'll handle this"

The tall man stepped aside nervously, giving him room to stalk out the home to investigate. It was sheer luck that he saw one of his own, Abraham, strolling down the street with a cigar dangling from his lips, leading Rick to whistle to catch the large man's attention, tipping his head as a signal for him to follow.

Rick didn't understand the point of Deanna's interview process when she allowed his group into the community. He thought it was idiotic more than anything else, so he was eager to use his own technique, which he believed to be much more efficient.

Another two from his own group stood at the gate, peering at the new faces that spoke with Aaron, the man who acted as a recruiter for Alexandria. He was the one that brought Rick there in the first place, so he had some appreciation for the man, but he still couldn't fathom how he could be so trusting.

"Any trouble?", Was the first thing Rick asked Daryl when he was near enough, hoping his right hand man would be able to brief him on their scouting mission discreetly.

Daryl shook his head as he adjusted his weapon on his shoulder, his thin lips pursed, "Nah, not much"

Rick slowly nodded as he looked at Aaron and the others. The first two people he noticed appeared to be a couple, older Caucasian man and wife, standing close and peering in past Rick in awe. He looked beyond them and saw a tall dark skinned male, very slender and a little more reserved than the other two, wearing an unreadable expression. Rick took a small step forward, "Aaron?"

The man span around when he heard his name called, immediately smiling, "Oh hey, Rick? Where's-"

"Resting", Rick offered dryly, tilting his head to see the people left behind him, "Who do we have here?"

"Oh, well Um, this is Mr and Mrs Jackson, uh and that's Dominic in the back there…"

From the moment Aaron moved aside Rick's gaze fell on the dark skinned woman who was peering around with narrowed eyes, and he felt his blood run cold, the small hairs on the back of his neck standing to attention.

If someone had told him that the minute he saw Michonne again he would immediately recognise her, he wouldn't have believed them. It had been far too long since he had last seen her that he was sure it would take him some time to realise it was his high school sweetheart, but in spite of what he thought, he knew it was her. Her hair may have been different, but her face had hardly changed, besides the fact that she looked a little more mature than her sixteen year old self. Her own gaze eventually fell on him, and he could tell by the way she continued to scan the people behind him that she didn't recognise him. He couldn't blame her, on the count of the fact that he was hidden beneath a beard and full head of hair.

"Uh, Rick? Rick?"

His eyes darted to the man that kept repeating his name, and he barked out a short, "What?"

Aaron cleared his throat, "I'm just going to take them to-"

"I want to talk to them. One by one", Rick ordered, beginning to stomp away as he raised his arm and pointed at Michonne, "You first, come with me"

She frowned, her eyes following Rick as she didn't move, when a voice piped up from behind her, "Uh, mom? What's going on?"

Rick stopped dead in his tracks, so immersed in her presence that he didn't notice the two young girls hidden in the back. He knew he heard correctly; he heard one of them call her 'Mom', and it stunned him still.

They were obviously twins with near enough identical features, a tad shorter than their mother. One wore their brown hair in ponytail while the other had two long braids that stopped at the middle of her bicep. They had Michonne's almond shaped eyes, and full lips, but the one thing that made that tore them apart, beside their clothes and hairstyles were their eye colour: the one that sported a ponytail had a lovely set of bright blue eyes, while the other had one darker shade of blue and a light shade of brown. Rick could have keeled over as if someone had just shot him in the gut; his eyes moved from one girl to the other, his mind working overtime to trace every square inch of their face into his mind. He stared for so long that they began to frown at him, both knitting their brows together at the exact same time before Michonne and the other tall, dark stranger stepped into view, placing themselves in front of the girls protectively.

"Now!", He managed to choke out, beginning to march again, even though he felt as if he was a breath away from blacking out and hitting the cement floor like a ton of bricks. He didn't dare look back to see if she was following him. He had to make it to the chapel, where he could take a seat in an spacious room and give himself a moment to calm down.

"Oh Rick, I was just-"

"Get out", Rick snapped at Gabriel, the priest the had saved shortly before finding Aaron. He almost knocked him over as he made his way to the front of the church, heading straight for the first pew.

He scraped his fingers threw his scalp so hard that it would have hurt if he wasn't in a state of shock. His hands trembled and his knee bounced, his eyes unable to focus on anything in front of him for more than a second. He couldn't even _think_ about anything for more than a second as he was too busy rehashing everything from his past life; the memories that he had long buried were unearthed easily, as if they were always just hovering beneath the surface. It all came back to him at such a speed that it made him dizzy, and he would have laid down if he didn't hear footsteps slowly approaching him.

Michonne still had her eyes narrowed as she stopped a pew away, a sword hanging on her back and a hunting knife strapped to her waist. Rick stood up and faced her, his chest tight as he nearly spat, "Michonne?"

She raised a single brow at him, as if that was her way of indicating that he was correct.

He blew out a breath, " _Michonne_ Anthony? From Kings County, Georgia?"

Her eyes grew wide, her gaze bouncing all over him as she finally spoke in a deep, rich tone that still managed to carry her words to him, even though she could have been attempting to whisper, "Who are you?"

Rick almost laughed in disbelief as he ignored her question, "...You left town, right? Just upped and left? I heard- I heard it was because you were pregnant, is that true? Is that why I didn't see or hear from you again?"

She took a small step forward as she squinted at him, her lips pursing as if she was about to repeat her question, when the penny finally dropped. Her eyes were wide again as she swallowed, stepping back to her previous spot as she breathed, "... _Rick_?"

"It was true, wasn't it?", He was sure she could probably see his heart thumping in his chest, his hands trembling a little more violently so he sat them on his sides, "It must have been- I heard them. I heard her call you mom? They look like they could be fourteen? Maybe fifteen? That adds up"

Michonne's eyes glistened before she snapped them shut, her own chest heaving as she took deep breathes, biting her lips together as if she was trying to gain some control of herself.

"...Are they mine?", The question left his mouth with only a little difficulty, but once it was in the air he rephrased it, asking her specifically, "Are they _my_ daughters?"

Her hands came up and covered her face as she exhaled heavily, only able to give him a small nod for an answer. Rick's legs shook so much that he had to sit down as astonishment rendered him speechless.

Thirty minutes beforehand his only agenda was safeguarding the community and enforcing his new way of life. That was the only task he expected to face that day, but he had discovered that he was grossly mistaken. He felt as if the air wasn't filling his lungs despite how hard he was breathing. His eyes continued to focus on nothing as he stared off into the distance, and his knee resumed its bouncing motion.

Michonne walked towards him cautiously, her fists balled at her sides before she took a seat on the very end of the pew. He heard her breath out, "I never thought I would... My mother thought I was pregnant before I did. She knew… I didn't. I knew something wasn't right but I just didn't know what and she made me take the test and… we found out I was pregnant in the morning and by the evening I was on a bus to Atlanta to my Aunts"

Rick listened, though he couldn't find the guts to look at her again right away. Her tone was a tad higher, as if she couldn't believe she was reciting her backstory to him. If that were the case, then he couldn't believe it either. Someone he once loved with every ounce of his being was sat only few feet away from him, but she felt like a stranger to him. He was desperate to see something in her that reminded him of the past, but he was still trying to digest the fact that he would be a father of four and no longer two. Two teens that were also strangers.

"They wanted me to have an abortion, but my Aunt talked them out of it… I wasn't even in Atlanta long, maybe a few weeks? And they came and got me and I thought they were taking me back but we moved to Michigan", She leaned forward and rested her palms against her forehead, making her long black locks fall around her face, "I went back to Kings County looking for you… anyone I spoke to that _did_ know you said you moved and no one could tell me where…"

Rick could only blink painfully slowly while his heart beat softened, no longer pounding against his ribcage and the nausea in his stomach subsiding.

"I didn't even know where to look but I tried… I even tried again four years ago when Elodie was...", She turned her head to look at him, her eyes still appearing to glow from the tears that threatened to fall, "Say something, please?"

His throat was dry, so dry that swallowing did nothing to help. He shut his eyes as he spoke, "... What did you... what are their names?"

"...Colette and Elodie. Colette has the heterochromia Her eye is-"

"Yeah... I saw that", He gently nodded, his eyes opening to see his hands in his lap. He huffed tiredly, though he had bundles of energy before the hour, "You've been out there long with them?"

"Maybe a month or so?...we were held up above a store for a little while-"

"The people you're with, who are they?"

She sat up straight again, "The Jacksons we met a few months ago. Their car broke down and they were almost swarmed-"

"The other guy?", He didn't meant to keep cutting her off, it was purely because she gave him more details than he needed to know for the moment, but when he didn't get a response for his fourth question, he forced himself to look at her. She kept her gaze low, her lips clamped shut as she didn't make any attempt to answer him, so Rick spoke slower, dragging out each word, "Who _is_ he?"

"Dominic's my boyfriend", She explained quietly, snapping out of whatever trance that held her.

Rick blinked in her direction, "Has he been around long?"

She gave him a little nod, "A few years, now"

He rolled his tongue along the bottom row of his teeth as he let that little piece of information sink in. It would have been ridiculous for him to feel some sort of jealousy over the fact that there was man in the their lives, but Rick wasn't impartial to irrational behaviour, "I'll talk to him next"

She gave him another little nod, "Okay"

He peered around the bare chapel for a short time as he gathered his thoughts, putting his leader mask back on. As much as he needed to discuss with her, he wanted to continue their talk freely, without any need to rush because he had a community to whip into shape. Feeling much more stable than before, he stood up abruptly and faced her, "I'll talk to the couple you were with too, but after that we're picking up from here. I won't... I won't talk to them- _the girls,_ yet- but I still have questions and we need to figure out what happens from this point on"

Michonne rose from her seat too, looking at him the way she had done when she first walked in. She didn't respond to his request, but instead walked past him and headed towards the doors, which only earned her another prompt from Rick.

"Hey, I mean it", He called, causing her to come to a halt and turn her head in his direction, though she didn't completely face him. He stared at her back as he issued coolly, pointing at her even though she couldn't see him, "We're not done".


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

"That guy is crazy, mom"

Michonne purposely stood in front of her daughter's so that they couldn't see how shaken up she was, but she still did her best to reply to them, "It's not nice to call people crazy, Colette"

The girl narrowed her eyes at the back of her mother's head, "Fine, he looked a little _disturbed_ "

"Better."

"Can we look around? Do you think it's safe?", Elodie questioned, stepping forward to look at Michonne.

She forced herself to concentrate on the new setting, her eyes crawling from the lounge area to the kitchen, amazed at how nice the home was. She finally nodded her head in response to Elodie's question, "Yeah… come on, we'll look together"

Michonne's legs still felt as if she was trying to walk through jelly, and the overwhelming feeling of astonishment still lingered, but she was doing her absolute best to pretend as if she was just scoping the new community, and not because she was still in utter shock from seeing Rick.

He was the last person she expected to cross paths with, especially in this new world, so it was safe to say that she felt as if she had just seen a ghost. A ghost that she had given up searching for a long time ago.

Even if she did expect to see him again, she wouldn't think that he would look like that. Though he was a teenager when they were last in each other's company, she didn't think he could stray so far away from the sweet, boyish young man she knew. The word dangerous couldn't be more fitting for the man she saw; even his eyes seemed to flash red warning signals to others, and she could only liken his behaviour when they first arrived to guard dog handling possible intruders.

But she wouldn't accept that he was always like that. She simply wouldn't believe it. Having seen how fighting off the dead day after day, as well as a few of the remaining living, it was easy for a person to carve out a new face to help them navigate through the world. She wouldn't be afraid to admit that she was guilty of such a thing herself.

"Are we all sleeping in our own rooms?", Elodie questioned as they trudged down the stairs, one of the other, "I don't think we should just yet"

"No, we won't", Michonne confirmed when she reached the ground floor, heading towards the kitchen to investigate further, "We can hold up together for now"

"I still don't trust this place… That guy, Aaron? Didn't he say they had a whole bunch of people? But where is everyone?", Colette quizzed, following their mother's lead.

Colette was always the one to question everything, even before the world turned upside down. Michonne truly did adore that both of her girls were naturally inquisitive and not easily duped, but Colette would often make up her mind within the first five seconds of facing a new task, and it would be a long day for everyone involved if she decided she wasn't happy.

Elodie was a little more trusting, but only by the tiniest fraction. She often resorted to being completely silent when she wasn't interested in new challenges she faced, to the extent where it would be quite easy to even forget she was there, as if she had blended into the furniture like a chameleon.

"Maybe they have to stay inside?", Elodie pondered, looking from her sister to her mother, "Did that guy say that? That we have to stay inside?"

Michonne closed the fridge door after discovering that it was actually working, "No. He didn't say anything about that-"

"They split us up pretty quickly", Colette pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest, "That man wasn't as nice as Aaron. Do we have to talk to him too?"

"Separately?", Elodie added from beside her.

"No. You don't have to talk to him, I already did", Michonne tried to inhale deeply and discreetly, "Look, I'm not even too sure about this place yet but we just got here so we have to give ourselves a moment to adjust. We haven't stumbled across anything like this before and I know it's different and even a little bit scary but we can handle it, right?"

Colette reluctantly nodded, while Elodie chirped, "We can"

"Exactly. We know what to look out for so we keep our eyes open-"

The front door clicked open, leading the girls and their mother to fall silent as they moved to see who it was. Dominic closed the door with his foot when they spotted him, and Michonne immediately recognised the look of slight annoyance printed on his face. He tried to straighten up when he saw them, "So? What do you girls think?"

"We're keeping our eyes open", Elodie repeated, echoing her mother's words from only seconds ago, "...But at least it's clean. And new-"

"I'm having a shower first!", Colette announced, spinning on her heel and starting for the stairs.

"No! I need it first, I reek!", Elodie argued, hot on her sister's tail.

Dominic frowned after them, "Aaron said this place has two bathrooms?"

Michonne smirked as she picked up one of the bags off the floor, "Yeah he did, but I need a shower myself so I'll let them wrestle it out for that one while I freshen up"

"Hey, hold on a minute", Dominic lowered his voice as he stuck his hand out to stop her, "That guy, Rick? What do you think about him?"

Michonne's body froze, her eyes rolling up to meet his, "He seems… _aware_?"

"I don't know… I don't like the vibe I was getting off him, like he was trying to intimidate me or something", Dominic's face revealed the full extent of his displeasure.

Michonne could have told him about the little discovery she made earlier, and she planned to, but not in that moment. She preferred the idea of speaking to him when the girls were fast asleep, and allowing him to have time to digest the news away from their watchful eyes. She cleared her throat when she finally found her reply, "Look at what they have to protect? I think they all just want to be sure they're bringing in new people-"

"He asked me how long I knew you? What's that got to do with anything?", Dominic ejected dryly.

Michonne would have frowned, but she was doing her best to take the focus off Rick's strange behaviour, "Maybe he's trying to see if our stories match up? We could easily be lying about who we are"

Dominic appeared to soften as he took her point into consideration, "Yeah, but still…"

"Yeah… I'm going to go freshen up. We can take a better look around in a little while..."

It was only when Michonne was able to hide away in the downstairs bathroom that she collapsed against the door, dropping her bag on the floor beside her. It seemed impossible for her to concentrate on just one of the many thoughts that crossed her mind, and she was soon consumed with dread, fearing the absolute worst for everyone involved, specifically her daughter's.

She knew they cared about Dominic and he cared for them, but their bond wasn't something that formed easily, and the idea of throwing Rick into the picture would only make matters more complicated. She also knew her daughter's like the back of her hand after all, and she was sure they'd build an invisible fortress from the moment Rick looked at them a little too long. Couple that with the fact that they only seemed to tolerate Dominic because he was there, Michonne could almost see the tension lingering in the distance.

After she washed her face and changed into a cleaner tank top than the one she had on, she left the bathroom to discover two baskets set on the counter in the kitchen, one with groceries and another with household essentials. Dominic explained that a woman had dropped them off, claiming to be from a place called the pantry. Michonne was impressed, and secretly glad to see that the community didn't seem to have a problem with finding food. She packed the items away while the rest of her family cleaned themselves up, and once they were all done, they ventured out into what possibly could be her new home.

Colette was correct, as there was hardly anyone else on the streets, only a small handful of people sprinkled here and there. It sparked Michonne's curiosity, leading her to wonder if it was always like that or if they had come at a bad time. She was already questioning where the leader was, as she distinctly remembered Aaron telling her that it was a woman who was running the community, but all she had seen so far was a very bossy Rick.

With hardly anything to see besides more beautiful houses and a lake, the family strolled back to the unit they were assigned, feeling collectively dubious about their new setting. Michonne didn't even know what to do with herself besides look around, so used to being on high alert when they were beyond the walls. She was still on alert, but with a different potential threat in mind.

As the day drew on, Colette and Elodie had taken to the bedrooms to rummage around in the closets, while Dominic tried to familiarise himself with the kitchen appliances. He had earned the title of 'chef' in their old life, so it came as no surprise to anyone that he was bustling around the kitchen, meanwhile Michonne did laps around the home, so many she was sure she could probably walk it backwards. She wasn't looking for anything in particular but she preferred know her surroundings well, and she was in the middle of checking the back door lock when there was a hard knock on the front door.

Dominic moved before her but she still followed, and they could already see Rick through the glass panels of the door, pacing back and forth on the front porch.

"Is everything alright?", Dominic enquired, a little base in his tone as he placed a hand on the door frame.

Rick stopped pacing, making no attempt to look at or even answer Dominic as he locked eyes with Michonne, "We need to talk. Now. Come on"

She was already sure that she didn't like his attitude, but in the grand scale of things, it was the least of her worries, so she went to follow him as he turned to step off the porch, but Dominic's hand didn't move, and he quickly spoke up, "Now wait just a minute…"

The way Rick paused before turning around to face Dominic once again was unsettling, but no more unsettling than the look he wore on his face, "You didn't hear what I said?"

"But I said-"

"Why don't you get dinner started?", Michonne suggested to Dominic, placing a calming hand on his bicep and slowly removing it from her path, "I did want to speak to someone about the house anyway so I won't be long, okay?"

It took some time for Dominic to tear his glare away from Rick, and he didn't say anything further as he stepped back to let her pass.

"Remember what we talked about", Michonne reminded Dominic quietly as she moved, "Tell the girls I'll be back"

Rick looked Dominic from head to toe before he continued to march down the steps, making Michonne wonder if he really was trying to intimidate Dominic, or if he just really didn't like being challenged.

He walked slightly ahead of her, but his voice carried so she could hear him clearly, "What's his problem?"

Michonne decided that it could just be that he didn't like being challenged, "You don't exactly come across as the warmest person"

The sound that left Rick could only be described as a growl as he came to a screeching halt and turned around to face her, "Did you tell him?"

Michonne was almost caught off guard but managed to stop herself, instinctively going in defensive mode as she frowned at him, "No, I haven't yet"

"Will he be a problem?", How Rick was able to make a question sound like a threat, Michonne didn't know.

Her frown only intensified, "Is this where we're talking about this? Here? In the street?"

Rick only stared at her, his pupils large enough to hide any hint of blue. Michonne was forced to stare back, knowing that she was dealing with a very difficult man, and she would have stood there for a while longer if he didn't tip his head to the side and rasp, "That way. Walk"

Michonne snapped her eyes shut at him as did as she was told, questioning if every interaction shed have with him would be so hostile. She understood the gravity of the situation they were faced with more than anyone, but everything Rick did was so offensive that she couldn't bare it.

"Good evening", A man smiled as they strolled into the chapel, stepping away from the podium to greet them, "I was hoping-"

"Get out", Rick barked, stomping up the aisle, leading Michonne to watch the back of his head with wide eyes.

The man only huffed, grabbing his bible off the stand and hurriedly walking along the edge of the pews. Rick continued to the front of the small building and found a new place to pace, while Michonne found herself frowning at him once again.

As soon as they were alone he spoke, not as aggressively but that didn't really mean much, "I thought they were just rumours for a long time. I didn't think you'd disappear with somethan' like that"

Michonne kept her arms folded over her chest as she listened, following every heavy, purposeful step he took.

"I left to join the academy. The police academy. I didn't tell anyone... After my mother died I didn't see the need to stick around-"

"I remember hearing that. I'm sorry", She offered sincerely.

Rick only stilled for a brief moment, "Yeah… I kind of closed off after that but uh, I left. Moved to Albany and joined the police force there, only moved back to Kings County a while before the turn…"

She slowly nodded as she dropped her gaze to her boots, "Right."

"I have a son, and a daughter here", He informed with a harsh breath, "Carl's probably eleven now. Judith… she should be coming up to two. She was born after… all this"

Her gaze shot back up to meet his, "Yeah?"

"Yeah", He slowed down, his feet no longer hitting the hardwood floors with force, "...What do they know?"

Michonne inhaled deeply, "The truth. That I had them at a young age and my parents shipped me off before I got a chance to tell you"

He finally stopped, "Have they asked-"

"They have. They're not afraid to"

His eyes darted all over her face, "...Would they want to meet me?"

Michonne chose her words carefully, "...They might have reservations because of the man they've seen so far but… I think they'd be open to the idea"

Rick's face smoothed, "Tell me about them?"

She scoffed, "There's so much to tell, I don't think I could cram it all in-"

"Try", He pushed, taking a step towards her.

Michonne huffed, her eyes roaming the space around him aimlessly, "They're very similar but they have their differences. Colette is a little more brash, she's not afraid to tell you what does and doesn't like, but she's still quite a sensitive girl underneath it all. The same with Elodie, but she's a little more cautious. They're both unbelievably smart, and caring. I wouldn't say that they're completely able to protect themselves out there because I don't think anyone is, anything can happen, but I will say that they are very capable. They know the seriousness of what we're up against and they remember that, always"

Rick watched her with the most intense gaze while he listened, taking in every last word she said, but the smooth look he wore on his face quickly vanished when she stopped, "Dominic?"

"What about him?", She almost sighed.

"Will he be a problem? I'd like to know that now"

"You're not the only person that will be affected by this, Rick. He shouldn't be expected to just step aside because-"

"That's exactly what he needs to do", Rick countered firmly, "I'm sure he's been great to have around but the fact of the matter is, I'd like to know my daughters, and I'd like them to know Carl and Judith and I'm not saying that I expect any of that to happen right this second, but when the time comes, I don't want anythan' or anyone in our way"

Michonne could understand his reasoning, but she still didn't agree, "He won't be in the way."

"Good", He spat, setting his hands at his sides as he straightened up, "I'll give you some space, everyone will, that's how thangs work around here when there's new people, but after that we can get thangs moving, I don't know when you plan to tell them but I plan to let my son know very soon. Give him time to understand what this all means"

Michonne nodded as she looked away from him, knowing she would have to do the same with her girls, "Yeah"

"We agree on that?", He tilted his head to catch her gaze with his.

"...Yeah."

His eye twitched as he continued to leer at her, "What happened with your parents?"

She involuntarily tensed that the mention of her mother and father, "I moved out when I was eighteen. Haven't seen them since"

That intense stare of his returned, "So it was just you and them?"

She forced herself to meet his eyes again, "It wasn't that bad back then. A walk in the park compared to now"

He exhaled through his nose, his expression not easing up, "Well I'm here now"

Michonne only nodded, not entirely sure what she could even respond to his remark, but she was saved by the creak of the door as someone stepped in the chapel, leading them both to turn towards it.

"Sorry to interrupt, Deanna wants to see you Rick", A green eyed woman announced, her accent similar to Rick's.

Michonne wouldn't have said anything but when she heard the other woman's name, she felt compelled to investigate, "So there is a Deanna around? The leader?"

Rick raised an eyebrow at her, and Michonne thought he would answer her but she was mistaken, "Maggie this Michonne, she arrived with her daughter's and another couple. Maggie's a close friend of mine, and someone else you can go to for help around here"

Michonne's mouth fell open for two reasons; the first being that he did ignore her, and the second being that he purposely didn't mention Dominic, but obviously his friend was none the wiser, as she still greeted Michonne, "Hey, nice to meet you"

"Nice to meet you, too", She replied, tearing her gaze away from Rick. Maggie looked between the two of them with a blank expression, before waving her hand and backing out the door. Michonne whipped her head around to face Rick again, "I want to meet Deanna"

"There's really no need", He shrugged, "If you need help with anythan'-"

"I want to meet Deanna, Rick", She put heavy emphasis on his name as she stared him down.

Michonne quickly discovered that her earlier assumptions were correct, and that Rick Grimes wasn't the kind of man that liked to be challenged. If there was a word to describe the look that spread across his face then she would be interested to know it, because she couldn't tell if he was either going to adhere to her request or flip over a pew. His gaze cascaded down to her boots then crawled back up to her face, and he simply replied, "Deanna isn't the leader here anymore. I am, so any problems you have, you can come straight to me"

She frowned at him, "That's not what I was told?"

"Well, Aaron wasn't here when we had a change of pace", He shrugged once again, as if she was supposed to just take his word for it, "Anythan' else?"

Michonne rolled eyes at him as she started towards the door, wondering how she planned on dealing with such man.

"Hey", He easily caught up with her and took hold of her arm, barely discouraged when he saw the threatening look she wore. Instead he just raised a single brow at her, "I said, anythan' else?"

She yanked out of his hold, her annoyance turning to anger as she spat, "No!"

Still unmoved by her scowl, he replied coolly, "Good. I'll send someone over tomorrow to explain how thangs work around here, and we'll catch up in a few days so I'd appreciate it if you kept Dominic out the way or I will"

Michonne needed to leave the chapel and get away as far away from Rick as she could, and so for the sake of her own sanity and the furniture around her, she agreed, "Fine"

His eyes trailed all over her face for a short while, and eventually he rasped, "Alright. Let's go"

As soon as Michonne stepped beyond the doors she marched away from him, her fists balled so tightly at her sides that she was surprised that she didn't hit Rick. She hadn't even been around him any longer than a few minutes at a time but yet she was already sick of him, and she could only take solace in the fact that she wouldn't have to endure him for a little while.

When she arrived back at the home they were given she was met by the sounds of pots and pans banging around in the kitchen. Colette and Elodie were stood on the stairs, leaning against the wall as they watched Dominic move around angrily, but the moment they saw the look on their mother's face they scurried back up the stairs.

Michonne crossed her arms over her chest as she ventured over to him, keeping her tone light, "I need to talk to you about something-"

"And I need to talk to you", He snapped back, dropping a small pan on the stove, "What the _hell_ was that, Michonne?"

She sighed tiredly, "I'm sorry, I should have told you that he wanted to speak to me but it's… there's a lot I need to tell you about"

"Like what?", He frowned, also crossing his arms over his chest.

She hesitated, trying to find the right words as she lowered her voice, "He- Rick is… Rick Grimes. The girl's father"

Dominic's arms fell to his sides immediately, his face falling blank. Michonne could feel her heart race in her chest for a countless time that day as she waited for him to respond. His expression was to plain to read, his brown eyes locked on hers, "That's why he…"

Michonne nodded, knowing he was putting the pieces of the puzzle together at record speed. He looked like a man that had just had the rug pulled from out his feet, but she was quick to assure him, "Dominic, I know we've gone over what would happen if-"

"I don't want to talk about it, Michonne", He interrupted firmly, his finger raised in warning, "And I certainly don't want to talk about him. We keep his name out of this house".


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

"When I was young, I had a girlfriend that I really cared about. This was a few years before your mother and I, but uh, we got together and… things were good until she moved away suddenly, and I didn't hear from her again. I heard a few rumours about why she might have gone but I didn't believe any of them, I figured I knew her better than anyone else and- well, turns out the rumours were true. She was pregnant, and her parents sent her out of town… and now she's here. She's part of the group that came here the other day"

Carl's mouth appeared to be stuck in one position Rick's story; unable to close but still unable to hang completely open. Rick could see his son was beyond shocked, which is why he hurried to continue, "She had two girls. Twins. Colette and Elodie. I think they're fourteen or fifteen… somewhere in that area… I should have asked when their birthday was-"

"Have you talked to them?", Carl blurted out.

Rick shook his head, "No. Just their mother"

The questions began to pour from his son's lips, "But you've seen them? Do they know? What did their mom say?"

"I saw them when they first got here, and their mother, her names Michonne, she told me she would tell them, and I told her that I would tell you… I told her about you and Judith, too"

Carl exhaled a long breath, "...So what does this mean?"

Rick straightened up, ready with his answer, "Well this means that we have an opportunity to get to know them, and they can get to know us… and hopefully we can go from there. It maybe strange to think say it now but they are your sisters and you are their brother and I think it would be great if we could figure this all out together. I'd appreciate your help right about now"

Carl slowly began to nod, "I think I'd need your help, too"

Rick released a little chuckle, "Yeah. This is definitely something we need to take one step at a time-"

"What about their mom? Michonne?"

Rick's smile tightened, "What about her?"

"Is she like us? Or like them?"

"She's like us", He replied easily, "There's no doubt about that"

Carl seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, "Good"

Rick was delighted with his son's reaction to his news, and he could only hope that the same could be said for Colette and Elodie.

The more he thought about them, the more eager he felt to see them again. He made sure no one bothered them for the first few days, and even he kept his distance, even though he was desperate to know if Michonne had spoken to the girls, and warned Dominic. On second thought, Rick would have preferred to warn Dominic personally.

"This isn't something that not everyone agrees with Rick, you know that. These people are scared and they don't know what to expect from you or your group. You say you want to make this place safer but right now, I feel like you're turning it into a possible warzone"

Rick almost laughed with disbelief at Deanna as he sat across from she and Douglas in their home, "You think showing people how to use weapons will turn this place into a warzone? Can you- do you realise what's going on in the world right now? Have you even walked a little way past those gates?"

"We understand Rick", Douglas sighed, sitting up in his seat as he placed a hand on his wife's knee, "We know you've probably seen more- know more than us, but you're not making it easy for us to want to learn from you. You've effectively barged in here and told us that we have to change, and that we have to be like you and your people but that's not the way things work here-"

"Anyone who isn't willing to learn can leave", Rick offered coolly with a shrug, "It's as simple as that"

Deanna looked to her husband, and the two of them exchanged worried looks before she continued, "You can't just make-"

"I can, and I will", Rick stood up and adjusted his gun belt, "And I can make that known, if you'd like?"

The older couple both exhaled heavily, appearing to be at a loss for words.

"Alright then", Rick started out the room, "Maggie will be over to talk about food and supplies with you today"

Neither said anything, which was fine, since Rick didn't stick around long enough to give them a chance to reply. He had more important matters to attend to, but as soon as he stepped outside their home he was greeted by a familiar face, "Carol?"

"We have a problem", The silver haired woman sighed, crossing her arms as she stopped at the bottom of the steps.

"Yeah?", Rick raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah", Carol lowered her voice, "I haven't seen Sam at all today, or the others"

Rick's eyes immediately drifted towards the top of the street, "Who's at the pantry?"

"Olivia. She was talking to those new people"

He looked back at her, "They're out now?"

"They are. We're going to have to explain to them how things work around here. Aaron probably fed them the same thing he fed us to get us here"

He averted his gaze back to the street, "Yeah… I'll head over to the Andersons"

"I'll be nearby"

Rick's feet pounded the pavements with an unnecessary amount of force since he had already made up his mind about how to handle the situation with the Andersons, so all that was left to do was see it through.

A few residents had wandered outside their houses and gathered on their porches, and Rick was sure they probably regretted the move when they saw him stalking past their homes, but he saw it as an opportunity to remind them that he meant business.

He knocked on the Andersons door with a closed fist, and waited patiently for someone to answer, his hand resting on his colt python out of habit. It took some time but finally the head of the home appeared, leading Rick to greet him dryly, "How's it going, Pete?"

The taller man only revealed a slither of his body as he held the door close, "Fine? What's going on?"

"Where's your family?"

Pete's eyes narrowed at him, "They're here?"

"I'd like to see them", Rick took a step back to give him room, "Call them out here"

"What? What for?"

"I said, I'd like to see them", Rick repeated firmly, "So call them out here"

"What is this about? Why are you bothering us all of a sudden? We haven't done anything wrong?", The man argued, looking at him with pure disgust.

Rick never had that much patients to being with, but the little he did have dwindled away in seconds. He cocked his head to the side as he spoke with a deeper tone, "The only reason I haven't already shot you right between the eyes is because I know there are kids around, otherwise you'd be a dead man by now. So how about you make it easier for yourself, and just come with me before I change my mind"

Pete's expression darkened, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me"

"You don't have any right to talk to me like that-"

"And you don't have any right to hit your wife or your kids, but here we are", Rick waved his hands at the space around him, "I'm talking to you how I want and you're hitting your wife and kids"

Pete's face fell for only a brief moment, "Look, I don't know who you heard that from or-"

Rick retrieved his weapon without a word and held it up with a straight arm, aiming right at Pete's head. He used his other hand to wave, signalling to the scared man to step outside his home. Pete pushed the door open further and then inched outside cautiously, his gaze never leaving the gun.

"L-look, I never-"

"Shut up", Rick gave him the most annoyed look, "Let's go"

"A-alright… I will"

In spite of the fact that Mr Anderson was a highly trained surgeon and supposedly intelligent, the man still made the stupid mistake of lunging for Rick as he stepped around him, causing them both to go tumbling down the porch steps and onto the garden path. Rick dropped his gun in the fall, but he didn't really need it to overpower the other man as he swiftly began landing punches on his jaw with one hand, while gripping his neck with the other. Peter face absorbed the blows for only a short while when he found the strength to hit Rick back with a solid punch.

It was hard enough cause Rick to fall away from him and Pete took the chance to scurry for his colt python, but Rick was right behind him, so just before Pete could grab the weapon he leapt on top of him, pushing his face into the grass as he took hold of his gun.

"That was a silly thang to do, wasn't it?", Rick panted, placing the barrel at Pete's head.

"Oh my god!", A woman gasped, leading Rick to look up and see that an audience had gathered around them, all looking on with shocked faces.

"Rick, please!", Deanna pleaded, her hands raised in the air, "Stop this!"

Rick couldn't understand why the woman had to be so dramatic in her delivery and he could barely understand why everyone looked so horrified. He fought the urge to roll his eyes for a countless time that day and used the barrel of his weapon to knock Pete unconscious, only to be met with another chorus of gasps.

He had to roll his eyes, just as Glenn stepped forward, followed by Aaron, "We'll take him somewhere else….another house"

Once Rick was on his feet he released a long sigh as he looked at all the people around him, while the two men gathered Pete up, "I know some of you may think that what goes on behind closed doors is none of your business, but I'm here to tell you that's not the case anymore. Anyone who thinks that they can harm someone else needs to be dealt with, because we won't stand for that here…"

Rick's sentence trailed off when he spotted Michonne in the crowd wearing the same frown that she had given him previously, while Dominic was right behind her, standing too close for Rick's liking, and no sign of the twins.

"...If anyone has a problem with that, then they can leave", Rick finished sternly, his steely gaze on Dominic, purely because the other man appeared to be the most bothered by what he'd witnessed.

Dominic straightened up, and said something along the lines of, "Let's go"

Michonne turned back to face him, but not before Rick called out, "You're free to leave, but they're staying here"

Michonne's locks wiped through the air as she turned back to face Rick, giving him the most incredulous look he had ever seen. Dominic did the same, but with more outrage, "What did you just say to me?"

"You seem to have a problem with hearing thangs? I said _you_ are free to leave", Rick repeated, putting even more enthuses on his words as he stepped closer, "But you aren't taking _my_ -"

"Stop!", Michonne snapped, briefly giving Rick a stern look, before turning it on Dominic. The other man still looked outraged as he spun around and stomped away in one direction, leaving Michonne to do the same in another direction. Rick glanced around at the dispersing crowd for a moment, before he followed her.

Michonne marched her way back to the home they were given and stopped in front of the porch, turning back to face him with angry eyes, "You have a lot of nerve"

Rick's face pinched from confusion, " _I_ have a lot of nerve? Why's that?"

"Don't do that", She unfolded her arms to raise a finger at him, "You know exactly what I'm talking about-"

"Do you think that I'm gonna' stand back and let him take the you three back out there?", Rick questioned, taking a step towards her so her finger pressed against his chest, "If he wants to leave then he can go-"

"That's not your choice to make!", She stressed, her eyes darting all over his face, "Why do you even think that's your choice to make?"

He tilted his head at her as he frowned, his heartbeat beginning to ring in his ears, "What? Is that somethan' you're considering? Taking the girls and going with him?"

"No!", Michonne took a small step backwards, "But you can't inject yourself into discussions that I'm meant to be having with him. It's not your place, Rick"

He narrowed his eyes at her, feeling relieved, "Where are they?"

She released a sigh that turned into a low growl, "Inside. We sent them there when we heard the commotion-"

"Does he know? Do they know?", Rick took another step forward.

"He knows", She replied a little quieter, crossing her arms over her chest again, "I haven't said anything to them yet-"

"Is that because of him?", Rick growled with a new found rage.

Michonne rubbed her forehead for a second as she hesitated to answer, "It's-"

"You said he wouldn't be a problem? And it looks to me like he's a big problem, Michonne", Rick's hand found his weapon, "Now do I have to take care of that?"

Her head jerked back as she looked him from head to toe, "What does that mean?"

"It means I'll kill him", Rick shrugged one of his shoulders nonchalantly.

Her eyes widened in shock, and she hissed at him, "You will _not_ do that!"

"Then let him know that he needs to stay out of the way, and I won't have to, Michonne", Rick insisted coolly.

"Is that how you deal with things?", She squinted at him, "Senseless violence?"

"When it's necessary, yes"

"When your family or your friends or someone vulnerable is threatened, is only when it's necessary", She spoke with such conviction that it was almost appealing to Rick. Even though she was barely a shadow of the young girl he once knew, there was still a sense of sincerity about her that he recognised. He wondered what else she had been through in all the time they were separated, and he made a mental note to find out when he was presented with the chance.

Rick shifted his stance, switching his weight from one foot to the other, "Well he's threatening to interfere with a lot of thangs that aren't his business-"

"Like it or not, the girls are his business Rick", She pointed out firmly, "And they've been his business for a while now, so you can't just waltz around undermining him-"

"What did he say to stop you from telling them?", Rick felt his chest grow with rage again.

Michonne repositioned her stance, her lips clamped shut as she made no attempt to respond to his question.

Rick almost smirked at her attitude, "Look, I've already told my son and I would have thought you would have told them by now. I told you in that chapel that I'd give you some time to settle in and after that, we'd make a start on this-"

"I know, Rick", She bit out his name, "But I would have liked for everyone in my household to be on board with this so it doesn't make things any more complicated"

He blinked at her, his gaze trailing up and down her face as he asked, "What the hell are you doing with him anyway?"

Michonne's face fell blank as she took another step back, obviously caught off guard by his question, and Rick would have loved to have heard her answer but he was distracted by her front door opening to reveal Colette and Elodie, who didn't move beyond the threshold. They both wore pensive expressions as they looked from Rick to their mother, leading him to comment under his breath, "I don't think they want me around you"

Michonne used her hand to shield her eyes from the sun, "They're weary"

"If they were weary then they would have watched from the window or somethan'. They came out because they wanted me to know that they're there", He tried to keep the regret from his tone, "I'll stay away for another day or two, then we'll talk"

"Fine", She slowly nodded as she dropped her gaze to her boots for a brief moment, "What was all that about? Earlier?"

Rick exhaled tiredly, "The doctor here, Pete, he wasn't treating his family well"

She raised a single brow at him, "And what happens to him now?"

"He'll hold up somewhere else until we decide what to do with him", He raked his fingers through his hair, as his gaze fell to her arm, where he noticed a scar that looked like it heeled horribly, "What happened there?"

She gave him that frown again as she followed his line of sight, peering down at her arm, "Nothing. Just an old scar"

"I can _see_ that, what happened?"

Her eyes met with his and she gave him a no-nonsense look, "I'll tell you once you've learnt how to communicate _without_ the attitude"

Rick blew out a breath as he glanced back towards her home, where the girls still stood in the doorway, "You should probably-"

"Yeah", Michonne started for the house.

"Two days", He reminded as he slowly backed away, and she only peered at him from over her shoulder to signal that she heard him.

He looked to his daughters one more time, not wishing to leave so soon but he knew he had to. They looked more like Michonne than him, even down to their expressions, which he found quite adorable. He wanted to hear them speak, whether it be to him or each other or their mother, he just wanted to hear them talk. He couldn't blame them for feeling uncertain about him, but he wanted to let them know that he would never be a threat to them or their mother. He was already willing to protect all three with his life, which is why there would be a cold day in hell before he let Dominic take them from him.

Rick didn't know what Michonne would do to get the other man out the way, but he knew what he had in mind.

"Rick!", Maggie called as she jogged towards him in the street, "I just spoke to Glenn, what happened?"

"Pete Anderson, he was hitting his wife and kids", Rick was growing tired of mentioning Pete's name, "I separated them"

"And after that?", Maggie huffed, setting her hands on her hips as she narrowed her eyes at him.

As dear of a friend Maggie was to him, Rick wasn't ready to disclose what was happening with anyone just yet, "Just had a misunderstanding with the new guy"

She stared at him, "A misunderstanding, huh?"

"Yeah- look, you might wanna' talk to Deanna after all this. I'm gonna head to the gates and speak to Abraham", Rick touched her on her arm as he passed her, giving her a quick reassuring squeeze, "We'll meet up later"

"Alright."

With so much going on in the community over the last few days, Rick's mind was almost always busy, even until the very last moment before he drifted off to sleep at night. It was only a week prior that all he had to worry about was becoming leader of Alexandria, but with Michonne and the twins around, he found himself constantly pondering what would happen between them all, and what it meant for his family.

With that at the forefront of his mind, it made perfect sense that he had completely forgotten about Pete's wife, Jessie.

When Rick's group first arrived in the safe zone, the woman was warm and friendly, and naturally he was attracted to her. When Carol had first informed him that something wasn't right in their home he knew he would have to help, he felt compelled to, and after kicking Pete out of their home, it would seem that the two of them had a chance to slowly begin exploring their budding relationship, but that was no longer the case in Rick's eyes.

"...I didn't get a chance to thank you", Jessie explained after stopping him in the street near her home, "For what you did for us. We really appreciate it"

He gave her a quick nod, "It's no problem"

"You're not hurt are you?", She queried, her eyes searching him, "I saw some of the fight and-"

"Nah, I'm fine, I've gotten worse from smaller thangs", He joked dryly, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

"Oh", Jessie giggled lightly as she tucked her a stray hair behind her ear, "Well I was just-"

A large crash came from inside her garage, leading Jessie to jump and hurry back, and for Rick to follow, though he doubted it was anything to worry about.

"We're so sorry! I backed up and I-"

"And then I lost my balance and we-"

Colette and Elodie froze when they saw Rick behind Jessie, their mouths immediately snapping shut, but Jessie didn't seem to notice, "Oh, it's okay girls! I've done it myself, look the pieces easily go back together so don't worry about it"

The twins stepped away from shattered Owl sculpture, and it was Elodie who added a quiet, "We're sorry"

"It's okay", Jessie waved her hand dismissively at her as she turned to Rick, "Our two newest residents are into the arts"

"Our mom is", Colette corrected a little firmly, but she quickly adjusted her tone, "But we're sorry"

Rick's feelings of excitement to see the girls was instantly replaced with nerves as he stood in front of them, his gaze bouncing from one twin to the other.

"Let me just go and get a broom to gather this up", Jessie announced, already making her way to the door that led to the house.

Colette and Elodie shared a brief look with each other, and it was as if they read each other's minds as they knelt down in unison and began picking up the larger pieces of metal.

Rick felt so uncomfortable that he could barely stand still, so he cleared his throat, "So how are you girls finding it here?"

Both girls rolled their eyes up to meet his, and it was Colette who answered, "Weird."

"Weird?", He repeated, impressed with her honesty, "Not like the any of the places you've been before?"

"No.", She dropped her gaze to the metal again.

"...The houses are nice", Elodie piped up, though she didn't look at him.

Colette glanced at her sister and reluctantly agreed, "Well… Yeah. They are"

Rick watched them closely as he crouched down and helped pick up the scrap, "There's actually a lot for you to do here; there's a school, there's other kids probably around your age… books- do you like comic books?"

Elodie sat back on her feet, "Our mom does"

Rick was inadvertently learning things about Michonne, "Yeah? Well there's a lot of them floating around here"

"...What about music?", Colette enquired begrudgingly.

"Depends what kind of music you like? I don't think you'd like what they have here", Rick couldn't even stand the music he'd heard playing at Deanna's welcome party.

"We've got CD's… we just need something to play them on", Colette explained.

"We know we can't play them loud", Elodie quickly added.

Rick slowly nodded, feeling considerably more at ease, "Alright, I'll see if I can get someone to bring somethan' over to your house later on"

Elodie looked visibly pleased, while Colette offered a quiet, "Thanks"

"...Who do we go to for the comic books?", Elodie titled her head to the side as she asked the question.

"I'll make sure your mother gets somethan', too", Rick promised.

"Great... I'm Elodie, by the way. And that's Colette", The girl explained, waving her hand from herself to her sister.

"Nice to meet you both. My name's Rick"

"Got it!", Jessie cheered lightly as she stepped through the door, followed by her oldest son, "Oh and Girls, this is my son Ron, he said he'd take you over to Mickey's if you'd like? It's where all the other kids hang out"

"Uh…", Elodie looked to her sister for a second, "Sure, we don't mind"

"Cool, let's go", Ron grinned as he walked around his mother.

Rick and the twins placed the pieces of scrap metal on Jessie's work bench, and he watched them leave with the older Anderson boy after waving good bye to the adults. He was nothing short of delighted having spoken to them, and he would make sure that they got whatever it is they wanted, though he was a little sceptical about how Michonne would feel once she learnt about their encounter..


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

"Where are the girls?"

Michonne looked up from her seat on the couch to see Dominic, noting that he was already wearing an annoyed look as he approached her. She could only sigh, "I told them they can go take a look around. I wanted a moment to talk to you"

"You let them go look around?", Dominic exhaled heavily, "We don't even know if we're staying here yet"

Michonne rose from her seat, "We haven't been here long enough to decide anything-"

"Are you kidding me, Michonne?", He frowned at her, "After everything we've seen? After everything he's done so far?"

"He hasn't done anything that would make me question their safety here, Dominic", She summarised firmly, "Because that's the most important thing we need to consider right now"

Her partner shook his head as he looked at her with pure disbelief, "You think they'll be safe here with that guy running this place? I don't care who he is, he's insane and we need to get out while we can; that should be the most important thing we need to consider right now"

Michonne could see right through Dominic's protests, and so she approached him cautiously, softening her tone, "I know what's happening here and I can't believe I even have to say this but they aren't going to abandon you. None of us will, Dominic"

His dark skin flushed as if she had read his mind, and for a split second he appeared vulnerable, an image Michonne had seen plenty of times since the world descended into chaos, but he quickly straightened up, lifting his head high, "I know. But I don't want him to think that he can take you all from me, because I saw it Michonne. He's already decided that he's going to force his way in and push me out, and I won't allow that. Those girls may not care for me as much as I do for them, but I do care for them and you. He won't change that"

"Yeah", She placed her hand on his arm and gave his bicep a little squeeze, "But I have to tell them. They have to know"

His face hardened again, and he swiftly turned away from her, muttering something unintelligible under his breath. Michonne nearly sighed a second time out of frustration, but instead she chose to leave their new home in search of her daughter's.

She didn't feel any better about telling the twins about their father, and with so much tension growing between Dominic and Rick, she felt as if she had to be the voice of reason to guide the two territorial men. While she could understand Dominic's fears, since he didn't have the greatest bond with Colette or Elodie, she wished he would support her and her daughter's while they faced this new chapter in their lives. She also wished that Rick wasn't such a hostile man.

"Hey there", The cheery Southern voice snapped her out of her thoughts, drawing her attention to the brunette she had met the day they arrived.

"Hey…", Michonne greeted back, searching her mind for the woman's name, "Maggie, right?"

"That's it", Maggie stopped a foot away from her, "You finding everythan' alright?"

"Yeah, fine. Just looking for my daughters"

Maggie used her hand to shield her eyes from the sun, "Oh okay… has someone shown you around-"

"Yeah. We had a little tour the other day…", Michonne shifted her weight from one foot to the other, feeling it necessary to ask, "So you all got here a few weeks before us?"

"Yeah. Aaron approached us, told us about this place so we thought we'd check it out"

"...And how did Rick end up as the 'leader' so soon?"

Maggie's face tightened, but still she spoke diplomatically, "We were out there for a long time, and the people here were living in this little bubble… they wanted people like us to show them how we've survived, so here we are"

Michonne squinted at her, "And Deanna just stepped down?"

Maggie tilted her head to the side, "Yeah, but we still work together"

Having negotiated with Rick personally, Michonne struggled to believe that, but still she nodded, "And if I wanted to meet her? Deanna?"

"You could, but she lost one of her sons when he was out on a run not that long ago, so she's been pretty quiet", Maggie glanced over her shoulder, then began to back away, "But uh, I'll be happy to set that up for you when she's feeling up to it?"

"Yeah, I'd appreciate that"

"Alright. And oh- try that house on the end if you can't find your daughters. All the kids hang out over there", Maggie pointed towards the house furthest away from them.

"Oh, okay. Thanks!", Michonne gave her a wave as she continued on with her own task.

"No problem!", Maggie appeared to be a little more transparent than Rick, willing to answer her questions about the safe zones previous leader, but Michonne still got the impression that they were hiding information from the newcomers.

After doing multiple laps around the community, Michonne decided that she would try the house near the north facing wall, curious to see if her daughter's had already gotten comfortable with the other young people in the neighbourhood. She had secretly hoped that they would be able to relax since they were no longer fending for themselves. They were teenagers after all, and she wanted them to have a chance to behave like so, without the fear of the dead hanging over their heads.

As soon as she approached the front door of the property she heard a chorus of laughter, leading her to knock a little harder so she would be heard. It was a dark haired boy that greeted her, and he immediately stuck out his hand and introduced himself, "I'm Ron... You must be the twins' mom?"

"Nice to meet you, Ron", Michonne shook his hand firmly, "And I am"

"Cool, we were just playing a game-"

"Hey Ron, I have to go before my dad…", Another dark haired boy stepped into view, but unlike Ron, he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Michonne, his eyes already scanning all over her face.

Carl, was the first thing Michonne thought. It was obvious. She gave him a friendly smile, "Hey"

"Hey", Carl responded in a similar tone, though he was clearly taken back. Using his thumb to point behind him, he quickly announced, "They're in there"

"Oh? Well, thank you"

Carl gave her a little nod as he dropped his gaze and stepped past them, muttering quietly, "Well, see ya'..."

"Bye", Michonne watched him leave, racking her brain for any memory of Rick at that age. She could remember him faintly, not enough to recognise any similarities between the boy and his father but she barely even got a chance to really look at him before he disappeared out of sight.

Ron bellowed for the twins, and soon enough they emerged from a room beyond the stairs, their smiles vanishing. Elodie spoke first, "We should have told you-"

"You should have", Michonne nodded, crossing her arms over her chest, "It would have saved me the trek"

Colette bit her lip as she approached her mother, "Sorry"

Michonne moved a lengthy brown curl from her daughter's face with her finger, "Enjoying yourselves?"

"Yep", Elodie answered in her usual cheery tone, "They have video games here"

Michonne released a long suffering groan, "Oh boy-"

"I beat Colette", She grinned, her eyes twinkling with glee.

"I lost because you were breathing down my neck!", Colette replied sternly, arms already crossed over her chest, "Next time, _move_!"

Having spent so long forced into silence for their own safety, Michonne thought she'd be glad to hear her girls speak freely again, but she forgot that her girls often bickered. They swiftly began to snap at each other, and so she ushered them out the home while calling back to Ron, "Thank you!"

"It's okay", The young male smiled, his gaze bouncing from one girl to the other, his amusement evident.

With her daughter's back in her company, all Michonne could think about was breaking the news to them that Rick was their father. She didn't have the faintest idea how she would even touch on the subject as she had abandoned the thought that they would come face to face with their father shortly after chaos enveloped the world around them. It didn't help that Rick's attitude and behaviour wasn't an easy one to sell, either.

The day rolled on and it was almost time for dinner when it was brought to her attention that they had a visitor, standing on the porch with a brown box in her hands, "Hey, I'm Olivia, I work over at the pantry but uh, I have a few things for you here…"

Michonne peered back at Dominic, who was watching from a few feet behind her, "We already received some stuff when we got here-"

"Oh yeah, I know, but Rick told me that you needed a CD player? And some books?", Olivia insisted, holding the box out in front of her, "So here you go"

Michonne took the box with a frown, "...Okay… thank you"

"You're welcome. Just let me know if you need anything else", Olivia flashed them a warm smile as she leaned forward and grabbed the handle of the front door since Michonne's hands were busy, "Have a good night!"

The door clicked shut as Michonne peered in the box, surprised to see a few comic books beside the blue CD player, "Did you ask for this?"

Dominic soon stood by her, wearing a similar expression as he joined her in the investigation, "No"

"What's going on?", Colette questioned, skipping down the stairs as she tucked her wet locks behind her ear, "What's that?"

Michonne eyed her daughter, "Did you ask for anything?"

Colette's eyes lit up excitedly as she picked up her pace to get to the box, "Yeah, a CD player"

"From?"

"That guy the runs the place", Colette retrieved the device with a smile, "Yes!"

Michonne's frown deepened, "When? Today?"

"...Yeah", Her daughter replied in a distant tone as she examined the cable, "Earlier when we saw the owl-thing…"

Dominic looked from Colette to Michonne with a bothered expression, leading her to sigh, "Where's Elodie?"

"Here!", The other girl chirped, skipping down the stairs like her sister had done, "What's- oh cool! Is that the-"

"Yeah, come on let's try it", Colette insisted, tucking the player under her arm as she began to step away.

"Wait", Michonne couldn't have been presented with a better opportunity to finally touch of the subject that had been hanging over her head since they arrived. She huffed, tipping her head towards the living area, "Come and sit down, we need to talk to you both"

If it was possible for Michonne to physically feel Dominic's discomfort then she was sure that's what had happened as she walked over to the coffee table and sat the box down. Colette and Elodie followed, trying to share a questioning look discreetly but as always, Michonne saw them. She then looked to Dominic with pleading eyes, as he hadn't moved at all, "Are you ready?"

Dominic ran a hand over his newly shaved head, no longer sporting a little afro, his dark brown knitting together as he decided what he would do next. As much as Michonne wanted to be sympathetic about his position, there was a chance that she wouldn't forgive him if he didn't participate. Even if he wasn't ready to accept Rick's presence, she would still hope that he cared enough to support her at the very least.

After a brief moment of hesitation he strolled towards them, his head held high as if he had convinced himself that he could cooperate, and Michonne almost breathed a sigh of relief.

"...You're not pregnant, are you?", Colette's question almost made Michonne's eyes bulge as she turned to face her daughter. The first born girl quickly raised her hands in innocence, "I've seen enough movies to know that when your mom sits you down like this-"

"It's usually because of pregnancy. Or divorce", Elodie finished, her eyes darted between Michonne and Dominic, "But you're not married?..."

"Good thing TV's are a thing of the past…",Michonne placed herself in front of them, sitting on the coffee table beside the box, "So...You talked to Rick today?"

"Yeah…", Elodie nodded, glancing at her sister, "I don't think he's that… Disturbed"

"A little", Colette added dryly.

Elodie narrowed her eyes at her mother as she agreed, "Yeah...A little"

Michonne agreed in her mind, "But he was nice to you? He made sure you got what you asked for, right?"

The girls nodded in unison.

She sat forward, resting her elbows on her knees, "Well, that's because he's your father"

Both sets of dark brows shot up, and it was Colette to speak first, "What?"

Michonne nodded, "Rick. He is Rick Grimes"

Elodie began to frown, "But how do you know?"

"...Remember when we first got here? And he was behaving a little strange? Well he recognised me and I guess it all just came flooding back to him and so we talked- we talked about this. About the two of you"

Elodie still frowned, and Colette was soon mimicking her, "So…what did he say? What's going to happen now?"

"He was shocked, very shocked, but he's… he really wants to get to know you both and I don't think he could wait any longer", Michonne tilted her head towards the box next to her, "But as for what happens now is up to you girls get to decide. If you'd like to talk to him again or you need a little time to process this then it's fine. Either way, we're going to handle this however the two of you feel comfortable, whichever way that is"

Colette crossed her arms over her chest, "This is crazy, mom"

"Yeah. It is", Michonne breathed, peering at Dominic for a short time, "But… we've talked about this before, right? You've always wanted to know what he does… well, what he did. Where he lived… what he was like- you can find that out now, and I think he'd be happy to tell you everything… he… he has a son and a daughter, too"

Colette's eyebrows sprung up again as she nudged Elodie hissing, "That boy at Mickey's house"

"Carl?", Elodie replied, still frowning, "Ron said his dad runs the place… so that's his son?"

Michonne nodded, "Yeah, It is. Did you speak to him?"

"Ron introduced us… but he was pretty quiet", Colette shrugged, "And his daughter?"

"She's still a baby, I think. I haven't seen her", Michonne answered honestly, "But you can ask about her-"

"So is he married or something? Since he has a baby?..."

Michonne hadn't even thought to ask Rick if he had a spouse, in fact she didn't think to ask him much as he was always bombarding her with questions, "I'm not completely sure, but that's another thing you can ask him? When you're ready?"

Colette began to nod, but stopped, her eyes creeping over to Dominic, "So are we _all_ going to meet them together?"

"...If that's something you'd both like? I mean, If you think it would make this whole thing a little less… overwhelming, then we can do that?", Michonne insisted, also looking in Dominic's direction.

He cleared his throat loudly as he sat up straight in his seat, "Uh, yeah. We… we can do that. If that's what you want then I'm sure your mother can make it happen. We can make it happen"

Michonne almost smiled, glad he'd show her daughter's that he was willing to be included, when she noticed that Elodie had remained quiet for some time, "How are you feeling about this, Ellie?"

Elodie pursed her lips for a second, her gaze travelling across all the other faces in the room, "I don't know? It's… crazy, and I didn't think this would ever happen now… at a time like this… but I guess I'd like it if we all met together? Less pressure that way"

"Alright, we can do that then", Michonne huffed, finally able to smile at her girls, even if it was a small one.

"Well uh, come on, we don't want dinner getting cold", Dominic announced as he stood up from his seat, "I made pasta"

Colette and Elodie hopped out of their seats, while Michonne peered in the box once more before taking out the small stack of comics, "Since when did you girls read these?"

"We don't, we asked for them for you", Elodie informed as she stopped to look back at her mother.

"Aw!", Michonne held them to her chest as she grinned at her, "Thank you for thinking about your poor, old, helpless mother"

Elodie rolled her eyes playfully, "You're not old, mom"

"I am so old", Michonne groaned, pretending to struggle to stand up, "You have to help me"

"You did a cartwheel, like, a month ago!", Elodie chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief, "And a split!"

"Oh yeah I did, didn't I?", Michonne flashed an evil grin, "Never mind".

Elodie smiled for a moment more before her frown made another appearance, "So this is happening? Like for _real_?"

"It's happening", Michonne insisted softly, "If you want?"

Her daughter hurriedly nodded, "I think I do. Colette does too, I know she does"

"Then it's happening".

It was suffice to say that Colette and Elodie had taken the news about Rick well, and even though she knew they had their reservations, and so did Dominic, they were going to approach this like a family, which is all she wanted.

They all sat down and enjoyed the meal Dominic had prepared for them, and he even perked up when the topic strayed away from Rick and his children. Michonne expected her girls to speak to her about her boyfriend when they got the chance, since it was clear to her that they had questions regarding him too.

When dinner was finished, the girls retreated back to their room while Dominic disappeared to have a shower, and it was then that Michonne left the home to find Rick. She decided that she would rather speak to him sooner rather than later, and if by chance he bumped into the girls without her knowledge again, he would know that they knew about him.

She walked down the street with purpose, hoping her night would end on a good note once she spoke to him, but it occurred to her now stride that she didn't have any idea which home was his, or where he would be so late in the evening, so she chose to head towards the gate in hopes that someone would be on guard.

"Michonne?"

Her dreads flew through the air as she spun around to face Aaron, who was on his front porch, holding a glass of wine, "Oh, hey"

"Hey, is everything alright?", He asked, his tone thick with concern.

"Yeah, fine, I was looking for Rick? Do you know where I can find him?"

Aaron slowly nodded, "Yeah, he lives on the other side, Uh… it's a grey house between two white ones, with a little tree in front…"

"Ah. Grey between two whites with a tree. Got it", she recited to herself, her gaze falling on the glass he held, "Is everything alright with you?"

"Uh, yeah. Just winding down before bed…", He raised the glass to her, "It helps"

"Yeah…", She breathed, narrowing her eyes at him, "So… did you find out what happened with Rick and Deanna? When you were out finding us?"

Aaron's usually cheery demeanour changed, and his face grew serious, "Uh, no. Not really… things just changed and that was it…"

Michonne tilted her head at him as she repeated, "And that was It?"

"Yeah… it was. Um, I'm gonna' hit the hay", He waved his hand towards his front door, "I'm here if you need me"

She didn't want the conversation to end just yet, as he was obviously reluctant to touch on the subject any further, "Okay. Goodnight"

"Goodnight."

Michonne realised that she was asking the wrong people about the community's leadership, and she'd have to find someone willing to speak freely if she really wanted to know what happened. Judging by what she had seen from Rick so far, she wouldn't be surprised if he tried to take over the safe zone with force, but she would like to think that someone with sense would have geared him away from handling things that way.

She made her way to the other street and easily found the home that Aaron had spoken of, then proceeded to walk up the porch steps and knock on the door lightly, as it was late after all.

Rick took some time to appear, but when he did his hair was wet and sticking to his face while his flannel shirt hung open. He held a very tired looking toddler on his hip, her head resting on his shoulder and a pacifier in her mouth.

Michonne took a tiny step backwards, "Bad time?"

"No", He shook his head, "What's wrong? Somethan' happened?"

"No, I just wanted to let you know that they know. I spoke to them", She tore her gaze away from his daughter, "A while ago"

He raised a single brow at her, "Yeah?"

"Yes."

Rick adjusted the tiny body he held as he moved aside, allowing her room to pass, "Come in"

Michonne hesitated, purely because she hadn't informed Dominic that she was leaving, but she didn't plan on staying long either way so she stepped inside his home, "I'll have to get back soon"

"In there", Rick tilted his head towards the living area as he shut the door.

She slowly inhaled as she treads carefully towards the nearest couch. His house wasn't much different from hers, besides the decor and little cluster of toys sprinkled on the floor. She took a seat and watched him do the same, all while his toddler fought to keep her eyes open.

"So what did they say?", He began, his intense gaze returning to her.

"They were shocked, like you were, but they took it well", She explained softly, crossing one leg over the other as she propped herself on the arm of the chair, "They told me that they had met you earlier"

"Yeah, at um, a neighbour's house", He looked away from her for only a second, "Do they want to-"

"They wouldn't mind if we all got together… that includes Carl and this little doll", Michonne tilted her head to look at Judith.

"Yeah?", Rick seemed surprised, "They suggested that?"

"They did."

He gave her a very slow, understanding nod, seemingly absorbing her words, "Alright. We need to make that happen then-"

"And Dominic will be there, too", She issued coolly, and it came as no surprise to her that Rick's expression hardened, but she didn't stop there, "You need to accept his place in all this, and I won't allow anyone to make things uncomfortable for my girls"

"Our girls", He corrected with his commanding tone, "I think you need to get used to saying that"

Michonne almost rolled her eyes, "You know what I mean"

"I do, but I think you need to understand what all this means to me. I've been given a chance to be a father again more than once in all this mess", It was as if is on cue that Judith's chubby little hand clung to his shirt, "I don't think many others can make that claim, so that makes me a lucky man- A very lucky man. But unlike Judith, they're teenagers. They've already carved their personalities out, and they already know what they like and don't like... I need to get to know them, and I need to get to know you again. I won't let what's happening out there stop me from doing that, and I certainly won't let anyone stand in the way-"

"He won't stand in the way but he will be there regardless, Rick", His name left her mouth between gritted teeth, "And the sooner you get over it, the easier it will be for everyone else involved"

His lips pursed as he blinked at her, "Does he know you're over here?"

Michonne ignored him and looked towards the staircase, "So, where's Carl?"

"...Probably asleep. She was too but she woke up and started fussing when I was in the shower", Rick peered down at a sleeping Judith.

"Well, I should really get going", Michonne began to stand, "We can make some arrangements soon-"

"I expect Dominic to come along to the weapons training class tomorrow"

She perched on the edge of the couch, "The what?"

"Weapons training. Everyone here needs to be able to handle one, so we're starting classes. That couple, the Jackson's, they told me that you were the one leading them when you were out there? Said you were the one that usually took care of business?", Rick cocked his head to the side as he looked at her, "Is that right?"

"It was a group effort", She replied flatly.

He narrowed his eyes, "I expect him to come along"

Michonne couldn't think of a person who needed a lesson in handling weapons more than Dominic, "You're running that?"

"I am, and one or two others"

She almost shuddered, "Fine, I'll come along too"

He raised that eyebrow of his again, "You're more than welcome to, but I don't think that's necessary"

She nearly snorted at him, but instead she just replied, "It is"

He gingerly placed Judith down on the couch beside him before rising to his feet, "Fine."

Michonne stood up and stepped around him, "Oh, and thanks for getting them the CD player. I know they can't wait to use it"

"No problem", He followed her back to the door, "When did you start reading comics?"

"I've always read comics"

"That's not true", He frowned at her as he leaned past her and took hold of the door handle, "Not when we were kids"

She frowned back at him, "I read comics back then, too"

"Not in front of me"

"It just wasn't something I broadcasted", she shrugged, crossing the threshold, "I used to read my brothers in secret"

Rick leaned on the door frame, "Well, did you like them?"

"I haven't read them yet but yeah, thanks", She gave him a little nod as she began to back up towards the steps, "So tomorrow?"

"At twelve, on the lawn by the solar panels. Make sure he turns up"

She looked him from head to toe, "We'll both be there"

Rick only stared back at her as she made her way off his porch, which let her further know that it was vital that she attended the class, and any future classes, with Dominic. In fact, it let her know that she shouldn't leave him around the dangerous leader under any circumstance.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

"There are hundreds of them, maybe even a thousand?...What are we going to do?"

Rick shifted his weight from one leg to the other, his eyes trailing over the stretch of land that was home to a sea of walkers. The smell that hummed from the large collection of decaying flesh was enough to make a person heave, but having seen how easy it could be for the walkers to escape from the quarry, Rick had other matters on his mind, "That truck up there won't hold them for long, and once the ones up top start moving the rest will follow-"

"Can't we just move the truck back?", Glenn quizzed from beside him, his hand motioning towards the higher land where a eighteen wheeler sat dangerously close to the edge, "Park it like those two-"

"No way we can move it without the ground giving out", Daryl rasped from a few feet away, pacing back and forth as he surveyed the quarry also.

Rick bit his lip while he quickly hatched out a plan in his mind, "We can lead them out, away from Alexandria"

Both Glenn and Daryl wiped their heads around to look at him, and it was Glenn who spoke first, "A herd this big?... what if they don't all follow? Something could distract them-"

"And they can break off", Daryl finished for him.

"We need to set somethan' up", Rick continued, turning to face the two men, "We'll use cars- whatever we can- set up a path and lead them out that way. We'll have people on foot to keep an eye on thangs"

Rick didn't need to anyone to tell him that his idea was a risky one, but that seemed the running theme with everything he did. Glenn and Daryl were obviously feeling sceptical about the plan but with neither able to produce anything better, they both gave a quick nod in agreement, which was a good thing as the more Rick thought about it, the more confident he grew with his decision. When executed properly, he couldn't see a way for anything to go wrong, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be prepared if that wasn't the case.

The three men headed back to the Safe Zone after spending a few more moments deliberating over the situation, and it was in the car ride home that Rick was faced with a question that he had asked himself countlessly in the last few weeks.

"Do you think they're ready to handle something like this? I mean, I know they're not but…", Glenn spoke from the back seat of the Sudan, "We're going to need their help…"

Rick continued to stare out the windshield with a stoic look, "It's not up for discussion. They have to be. Alexandria is their community too so they need to help protect it"

"...Are we going to be picking people?"

"We'll have to. I can't see them tripping over themselves to volunteer"

Glenn smirked, "Yeah… I can think of a few residents that we should consider, but what about the new people that just got here? The guy that came with-"

"He's useless", Rick almost snarled as he thought of Dominic.

Daryl's eyebrows sprung up beneath his mop of hair as he glanced in Rick's direction, though he didn't say anything, but Glenn did, "Yeah?"

Even though he considered both Glenn and Daryl to be his closest friends, he wasn't ready to tell them his fairly big secret just yet, "That other couple told me that the woman they were with carried them all"

Glenn slowly nodded, eyeing the side of Rick's face from where he sat, "Well that's another person that could help then"

It wasn't a ridiculous suggestion and from what Rick had heard, Michonne was probably more than capable to help them with the walkers at the quarry, but even with that knowledge in mind It still didn't make Rick any more comfortable with the idea, "Yeah, maybe."

There were a bundle of matters to be dealt with back at Alexandria, and he knew he would have to gather everyone to discuss the latest of their problems, but when they did finally arrive at the Safe Zone, Rick was immediately reminded about the compulsory class being held on the green that he was meant to be leading. In his rush to leave earlier that morning he had forgotten to make other arrangements, but luckily for him Rosita had taken the lead, holding up a machete as she spoke with conviction to the dumbfounded group.

He could see Michonne stood off to the side, speaking with Abraham as he held out a gun in front of him. Rick was wondering what they were doing when his attention was stolen by Daryl, "I'm heading back to the house"

"Yeah", He replied, peering behind him to see Glenn heading off in the other direction, "I'm gonna' see how thangs are going over there"

"Alright."

Rick walked with a wide gate, hand on his pistol as he squinted from the sun. His eyes darted from one face to the other as he approached the group, and finally they landed on Dominic who was stood in the last row of people. Everything about the other man's posture told Rick that the man wasn't physically or mentally equipped to defend anything or anyone. He held his Machete with a limp hand, his long body awkwardly hunched over as he tried to mimic Rosita's demonstration. Rick gladly looked away from him, "How's it going?"

Rosita huffed as she began to nod, "Good so far"

He nodded his head slowly as he turned back to the crowd, where his eyes accidentally met with Jesse's, leading him to frown for a second as he hadn't even noticed her on his way over to the lawn. He masked his confusion with a quick nod of his head in acknowledgement as he start for Abraham and Michonne.

"...You always wanna' keep it at eye level until you get better with your aim. Something like this isn't the best to practise with but we can get you on a rifle and see how you do with that", The larger man explained, about to hand the gun to Michonne when he spotted Rick, "What's going on?"

Rick stopped nearby, his hand still on his colt python, "Nothing, how's thangs going here?"

"Good, just showing the little lady here a few things", The redhead explained, tipping his head in Michonne's direction, "Long range shooting"

Rick looked to Michonne, "Somethan' you need help with?"

She gave him a little shrug, "Couldn't hurt to learn"

He couldn't argue with that, "Well then maybe you can-"

"Hey! Be careful with that!", Rosita barked, causing everyone to spin around and look in her direction. She marched through the crowd and stopped dead in front of Dominic, who was sheepishly picking up his machete from grass, "You keep a firm grip on the handle when you swing or else you're going to hurt somebody! So pay attention!"

Dominic straightened up, visibly embarrassed, "I am, alright? Just go on, I got it from here"

Rosita eyed the man with disgust before she spun on the balls of her feet and stomped away from him. Rick said nothing as he rolled his eyes over to Michonne, wondering if she was also questioning if it was time for her to reconsider the mate she had picked, but her gaze was glued to Rosita's back, her face pinched with annoyance.

"I should probably pay attention before he takes somebody's gonads off", Abraham breathed roughly as he stepped between the two, moving closer to the group.

Rick used the distraction to move closer to Michonne, "Where are the girls?"

"At the house", She replied, tearing her glare away from Rosita.

Seeing Michonne on the defensive was intriguing to Rick, but knowing it was because of something to do with her boyfriend bothered him, so he kept the conversation on a brighter topic, "Yeah? So they like it here?"

Her gaze crept up to meet his as she folded her arms, "Well they can listen to music now so they're sold"

The corner of his mouth curled up as he felt the urge to smile, "I don't wanna' put thangs off any longer. If they're feeling up to it, then how about we get together later? At my house?"

Her brows furrowed for a split second, "Tonight?"

"Might as well, everythan's out in the open now"

She looked all over his face as she considered the request, "Well I don't want to just-"

Michonne cut her sentence short at the same time Rick saw the blade soar past him, only a few inches away from his arm. His eyes followed it to the ground where it landed with a soft thud in grass, and it was only then that he retrieved his pistol, holding it out in front of him as he aimed for Dominic, "Hey!"

A few residents gasped in fear as they backed away, giving him a clear view of a wide eyed Dominic, his hands up in surrender.

"What are you doing?!", Michonne hissed from beside him, her own hand hovering over the handle of the sword that was hung over her back.

Rick ignored her as he flicked the with clip his thumb, cocking his head to the side as he narrowed his eyes at his prey, "I'm only going to say this once-"

"Rick!"

"Watch. It.", The words left his mouth in a low, aggressive tone, and he was so consumed with delivering his threat that he didn't notice the other familiar weapon creeping up beside his.

Carl was at his side, gun rose by both hands, eyes barely visible under the large brim of his father's deputy hat. Rick wouldn't have been ashamed to say it filled him with pride to have his son jump to his defence, but under the circumstances, he had to draw back.

"It's alright", He told Carl in a stern, thoughtful tone as he lowered his pistol.

His son only glanced at him once before doing the same with a little hesitation, "It didn't look that way"

Abraham scooped off the weapon off the ground and stalked over to Dominic, "I'm gonna' call you 'loosey goosey' from now on"

"Alright, come on everyone! Pay attention!", Rosita ordered, regaining control of her class again. Abraham held the machete out to Dominic, and the tall man reluctantly took it.

Rick forced himself to look at Michonne, though he almost wished he didn't, "This is my son, Carl. Carl this is-"

"We met", She responded quietly eyeing Carl carefully, "Hello Carl"

"Hey", His son replied with a small smile as he held his gun at his side.

"Uh…", Rick cleared his throat as he peered down at his son, "I told you that um, Colette and Elodie wanted us to all meet together, right? Well how about tonight? You up for that?"

Carl's face lit up adorably, "Yeah? Sure… I don't mind? I mean I already met them but not as my sisters?"

Rick looked at Michonne just as her expression softened, "That alright with you?"

Her chest rose as she inhaled, "Yeah. Tonight then"

He lifted his hand to check his watch, "How does six sound?"

"Six it is."

Rick turned back to Carl, who looked pleased with the arrangement, "Alright then. It's settled. Did you want somethan' son?"

"I was just on my way to Mickey's. Judith's with Carol back at the house", His son informed.

"Okay well don't stay out-"

"I know, Dad", Carl already started in the other direction, "I'll be back in time. See you guys later"

Rick kept his eyes on his son's back as he walked away, pleased that Carl was easily taking things in his stride, which only made Rick even more too eager to have to the two families come together.

"So it's two of you that I need to worry about?"

His eyes were back on Michonne as he replied, "Carl will do what he thinks is right. I'm sure the girls would do the same for you"

"I need to talk to them", Michonne announced, folding her arms over her chest as the annoyed expression returned.

Rick moved his weight from one leg to the other as he changed stance, "Well you can go and do that now. You don't need to stay here"

Rick couldn't recall the last time he saw some one look at him with such a lack of interest, but even he did, he was certain that it wouldn't be as bad as the look Michonne gave him.

"What?", He shrugged, "You can go and talk to them now and see if they're up for it. You don't need to be here for this"

"I think I do", Her gaze fell to his pistol.

It dawned on Rick that he wasn't giving Michonne the best impression of himself, specifically his temper. He knew well enough that he could be a little unbalanced from time to time, but he didn't want her to think he wouldn't respect her opinion or her wishes, so he removed his gun from its holster and held it out to her, "Here."

Michonne looked at the weapon, then back at his face, evidently unmoved, "Would you even need that?"

Rick knew he didn't. Without his gun it would simply take him longer to kill Dominic, but he needed her to believe that he could exercise some restraint, "Go ahead. Take it"

She didn't immediately move, and after a few silent moments she took the pistol from his hand, then stepped past him without another word. Rick followed her with his eyes like he had done with Carl until he felt as if he was being watched, and sure enough he was met with a set of angry brown eyes. Rick gave Dominic an equally menacing look in return, while starting to question his decision to hand over his pistol to Michonne.

Luckily for Dominic, Rick had more important matters to think about, the first of which was the quarry. He left the lawn in search of the other members of his group shortly before the lesson was due to finish. He wanted to inform his trusted few about what they were up against before involving the other residents. It would be silly of him to think that he wouldn't be met with some degree of resistance from the original members of the community, but with such a big potential threat hanging over their heads, he would give them no choice.

The rest of his afternoon was spent traveling all over the Safe Zone, tending to smaller matters. He still planned to improve the place he called home, not only for himself but for all its inhabitants, and in order for him to do that, he had to keep an eye on everything and everyone. Such a job wasn't an easy one, so by the time he finally made it home he only had a short amount of time to prepare for the evening's festivities.

Fortunately for him Carol had made a vegetable casserole for the household so he didn't have to worry about dinner, instead he took a shower and put on a clean shirt, then did the same for Judith once she woke from her nap. Carl came home like he said he would, and joined his father in the kitchen to help prepare the beverages.

"So when are you going to tell everyone?", Carl asked as he sat the glasses down on the counter.

"We'll call everyone together tomorrow morning, talk to them about It, maybe take a few people out there for them to see for themselves", Rick explained, leaning against the sink as he handed his son another glass he had just cleaned, "So I need you to look out for this place while we're gone"

He knew his son appreciated it when he treated him like an adult, giving him jobs to do in his absence, which is why Carl nodded his head with a serious expression, "Got it"

"...If thangs go well today then it might even give you a chance to hang out with the twins without us adults around"

"Yeah. Maybe…", Carl shrugged, leading Rick to glance at him with a little frown. His son continued, "I guess I'm just a little… nervous. I hope it goes okay… and they like us"

Rick could relate, "Yeah? Well they might even be thinking the same thang, but it should be alright-"

"What do girls like to talk about?"

He froze, his eyes darting which way and the other as he thought, "...Maybe the same thangs as you? You've talked to plenty of girls before so don't worry about it-"

A knock on the back door caught both of their attention, so Rick stepped around his son to see who it was while taking a quick glance at the clock on the wall.

"Hey", Jessie greeted when he opened the door, flashing him a small smile, "How are you?"

Rick returned the gesture, "Is everythan' alright?"

"Yeah, fine… just, just wanted to know if you've made a decision about Pete yet?", She asked quietly while crossing her arms over her chest, "It's Ron. He wants to see him and-"

"I haven't had a chance to but I'm sure we can figure somethan' out, like supervised visit", Rick didn't want to be rude and rush her, but he was busy, "We can handle that as soon as tomorrow"

"Oh that great, thank you", She huffed, shifting from one foot to the other, "He's always been close with Pete and… he's a little more forgiving about the things his dad has done, and I think he just wants to- are you in the middle of something?"

Rick whipped his head around to face her once again, having glanced at the clock for a second time, "Sorry Jessie, it's just I'm expecting someone- a few people over-"

"Oh! I'm so sorry, I didn't know-"

"It's fine."

"What's the occasion?"

He scratched his brow with his thumb as he answered vaguely, "It's uh, just a chance for me to catch up with a very old friend from back in Georg-"

"Dad! They're here!", Carl called from somewhere in the house.

"I'll leave you to it, but I'll stop by tomorrow? And we can sort something out?", Jessie began to back away from the door, "Have a good night"

"Yeah, alright. You too", Rick made a pathetic attempt at a wave as he saw her off, too overcome with nerves all of a sudden as he realised that his son was right to question what teenage girls liked to talk about.

He walked back into his home and out of the kitchen area, where he was greeted by the sight of two sceptical looking girls, stood on either side of their mother and in front of Dominic. Carl stood off to the side, holding a curious Judith in his arms. Rick took a deep breath, "How are y'all doing?"

Michonne smiled for the first time in Rick's presence, looking from one girl to the other, "Great. Aren't we?"

Colette huffed as she shoved her hands in the back pockets of her pants, "Yeah… even with wet hair"

Michonne closed her eyes as she sighed, just as Elodie hissed, "I said I was sorry! You could have used my towel-"

"I did, and I left It on your bed", Colette smirked.

Elodie eyes widened, "Mom! Did you hear that-"

"Girls", Dominic breathed from behind them, looking from one to the other.

"So, we haven't been introduced to this little doll", Michonne forced a smile back on her face as she waved her hand towards Judith, "Have we girls?"

Colette and Elodie appeared to leave their qualms alone as they both snapped their mouths shut and straightened up.

Rick couldn't fight back the beginnings of a grin as he tipped his head towards the living area, "Why don't we all have a seat in here"

Carl lead the way, while Michonne ushered their daughters through, followed by a reserved Dominic. Something in the air was unfamiliar to Rick; it was a strange setting to be in, and he could tell by the look on Carl's face that he was unsure of what to say or do also, but luckily for both of them Michonne took the lead, "So will anyone else be joining us?"

"Anyone else?", Rick repeated as he narrowed his eyes at her as he took a seat, noting that she was looking at Judith as she spoke, then he understood, "Uh, well no. My wife isn't with us anymore"

The look on her face changed to more of an apologetic one, "Oh, we're sorry to hear that"

Carl shifted uncomfortably in his seat with Judith on his lap, and Rick took that as cue to move off the subject, "Thank you, but uh yeah, this is Judith. She's pretty quiet now but-"

"She's usually singing", Carl finished for him, smiling at his baby sister.

"She sings?", Michonne beamed at her, "Reminds me of somebody else I know-"

"Mom used to always sing", Colette piped up from the other couch, "That's how she woke us up... Every. Morning."

Rick raised his eyebrow at Michonne, "Is that So?"

"I think I sounded pretty good", She playfully sided eyed the twins, "Didn't I?"

Colette averted her gaze elsewhere as she let out a little whistle, while Elodie began to snicker, "I think we should talk about something else…"

Michonne's mouth fell open in shock as she feigned offence, which Carl seemed to find amusing. She continued to lead the conversation after giving a little flick of her dreads, "Well, we'll get back to that another time… the girls did have a few questions to ask"

Rick perked up as he looked at them, "Yeah? Go ahead"

He didn't miss the way Elodie discreetly nudged Colette, who went on to ask, "Were you a cowboy? Like, before all of this?"

Rick ignored the little chuckle that Carl released beside him, though his grin did make another appearance, "Nah, I'm afraid I wasn't a cowboy. I was Deputy in a town close to where your mother and I grew up"

"You grew up in Kings County too?", Carl asked Michonne, "You don't sound like you did?"

Michonne opened her mouth to reply but Rick couldn't resist answering for her, "She used to sound exactly like me"

Elodie's eyes almost bulged as she looked at her mother, "Really?"

"She's hiding it well", Rick teased.

"No way", Colette frowned, "Is that true, mom? Is that why you can only sing country music well-"

"They have other questions, too", Michonne ejected dryly, making no attempt to add any input to that topic, "Ones that have nothing to do with me"

Rick chortled at her joke as he shook his head, "That's fine, but how about I get y'all somethan' to drink first. Can you lend a hand, Dominic?"

The twins didn't seem to see a problem with his request, but Carl and Michonne did, as their smiles fell from their faces. Dominic had sat quietly in the recliner across from Rick, watching over everyone with a seemingly friendly look as he listened, but that look threatened to vanish, "Yeah. Sure"

Rick stood up and strolled out of the room with the other man right behind him. He didn't really need any help at all, and he could have easily asked Carl, but he wanted the evening to continue on a high note and since he didn't know what to expect from Dominic, he took the opportunity to ask him, "So do you regret coming?"

Dominic stopped just short of the counter, "Excuse me?"

"I said, do you regret coming along?", Rick repeated as he pulled open the fridge and retrieved a pitcher of juice, "I think you could have stayed home for this"

"They're my family", Dominic replied diplomatically after a short silence, "I'll be wherever they want me, even if it is here with you"

It was an impressive answer, but hearing him refer to Michonne and the twins as his family left a bad taste in Rick's mouth. He sat the pitched down and rested one of his hands on the opposite counter, "Well things may seem like that for now but sooner or later, that's all gonna' change"

Dominic raised an eyebrow at him, "I figured you'd call me in here to say something like this. You think I'm gonna' let you push me out? Because that's what you plan on doing, right?"

"There are people here in Alexandria that I consider family, people that I met long after all of this. I'd do anythan' I could to protect them, and they aren't even a blood relation. In fact, I couldn't tell you what I'd do to my own", Rick cocked his head to the side as he eyed the man, "I consider everyone in that room, sitting on those couches, my own. This place is theirs now-"

"You didn't even know that they existed until, what? Two weeks ago?", Dominic challenged, "And you think you can-"

"Which is exactly why I need to protect them", Rick snapped back with a low and aggressive tone, "You didn't get them here, did you? You're not the reason they've made it this far- you don't understand what it takes to make it this far, and you don't have what it takes to get them any further, so I can't sit back and watch Michonne carry dead weight. She should only have to worry about protecting those girls, not you too, so I'm looking to lighten her load anyway I can-"

"I'm not going anywhere", Dominic scoffed, appearing as if he wasn't moved by his speech but Rick knew better. He could see the unease in Dominic's eyes and the way he tucked his hands against him suggested that he was trying to hide the trembling limbs, "They want me here. You maybe their father but I still mean something to them, and I have been there for these girls- I know them and I care about them. I don't give a damn who are, you will not scare me off"

"I don't have to, you'll walk away on your own accord", Rick gave him a sinister smile as he picked up the pitcher and started for the living area, "Get the glasses. Now."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six:

"...They're drawing more of them in and sooner or later they'll find their way out. We've already started this, the cars are set up on the highway but there's still a lot more to do. We need to protect this place, so we're gonna' need every bodies help with this, whether you think you're ready or not. This is your home as much as your neighbours, and if we want to keep Alexandria going then we need to handle this now"

Michonne watched Rick as he spoke from his place at the front of the chapel. His deep, commanding tone bouncing off the walls. Piercing blue eyes darting from one face to the other, hands planted firmly at his sides. She hasn't decided whether she thought of him a good leader or not, but she knew he wasn't exactly an approachable one. The residents looked back at him with nothing but uncertainty, as if they couldn't figure out who was the threat; the hundreds of walkers congregating a few miles away, or him.

However, one thing she was thankful for was that he showed his newly discovered daughters a softer side when they had formerly met at his home the previous night. He answered questions with ease and even asked a few himself. Michonne could see the twins were still trying to get a feel of him, but they reciprocated his interest with their own. She didn't expect there to be an immediate bond between the three of them but she could see something brewing, and it brought her great relief.

She was sure everyone else enjoyed themselves too, all accept Dominic. He didn't say much at all, but he still smiled and laughed along with everyone else. Michonne knew that it wouldn't be easy for him, especially since Rick had pointed his weapon at him earlier that day, but he still came along despite the growing tension between the two men. She wanted to question him about the night when they arrived home but he claimed to be too tired, so she held back, knowing that was his way of telling her that he wasn't in the mood.

When Rick had finished barking his demands at the members of the community, they were free to return to their homes, all accept Michonne of course.

"What are you thinking about all of this?", Rick asked only seconds after the chapel doors closed.

She huffed, "I think I'll know when I've seen it for myself, but it makes sense. Better to lead them away then just leave them there"

"Yeah. That's what I was thinking… but if you want to sit this one out then-"

"No."

He blinked at her, "Well alright, but uh-"

She quickly added, "I also I think you might want to think about your delivery from now on. You are asking people for their help after all, and if you want everyone to work together then you need to start acting like you're on the same side"

One of the light brows on his face rose as he stared at her. He was giving her the same look that he had done when he last stood in that same spot and she had requested to meet Deanna. He was either offended or unmoved, she wasn't sure, but she was sure he would let her know. He spoke with a cool tone, "Is that right?"

"It is", She responded just as coolly. He only stared at her for a few moments more before moving away from the topic all together.

"I wanted to know what you thought about last night?", He quizzed, "How do you think it went?"

She crossed her arms over her chest as she cleared her throat, "I think it went well. Why? Don't you?"

He began to nod, "Yeah, I just wanted to get your input. Did they say anythan' when they got home?"

"They wouldn't stop talking about some of the things they learned", She informed dryly, "So I have you to thank for that"

One of the corners of Rick's mouth curled up into a crooked smile, "They ask some very detailed questions"

"And you have equally detailed answers."

"I did", He shifted his stance, his gaze travelling all over her face, "I can see you in them"

"I used to hear that a lot", She smirked, dropping her gaze to her boots, "But they're getting older now and-"

"You've done a great job raising them", He declared, "They're smart. I can tell. I think they were paying attention to me just as much I was to them… but they seem like great girls. They care about you a lot"

Her eyes shot up to meet his again, her surprise probably evident on her face. She had always wondered what he would have thought of them if he had a chance to meet them before all the chaos ensued, mostly when the girls were still young. She would often have conversations with him in her mind, picturing him admiring them. Recalling those memories deflated her, as she had forgotten all about how desperately she wanted him there with her.

His brows began to knit together as he probed, "Michonne?"

She finally replied quietly, "Thanks... I can say the same about Carl"

"Yeah… He's really taken this well. All of them have. I guess this doesn't seem like much to deal in the grand scheme of thangs but…", His gaze trailed away from her for a second, "But it is. This means a lot to me"

Michonne was taken aback by his admissions, so much so that she didn't hear the door click open behind her, but she did see his expression change.

"Get out!", He roared, eyes growing serious.

She turned just in time to see Father Gabriel bowing his head as he backed out of the chapel just as quickly as he had appeared. She wiped her head around to look at Rick with confusion, "Why do you-"

"Long story", He nearly growled, shifting his weight from one leg to another, "Well listen, I was thinking we could meet up again soon. Maybe tomorrow night for dinner?"

Michonne narrowed her eyes at him for a second before she answered, "Fine"

"Same time?"

"Same time.", She repeated, beginning to step away from him.

"Alright."

Feelings that she had long ago buried all erupted in the pit of her stomach as she trudged home. It saddened her to think about the pain she endured from being torn away from him, then forced to raise the twins on her own. Though Rick was finally able to meet them and their daughters were finally able to meet their father, something wasn't allowing her to feel complete.

It continued to play on her mind for the remainder of the evening, even when she was informing them on everything she had learnt at the community meeting over dinner. She hoped that she hid her distraction well, but when Dominic cornered her in the kitchen while she washed up by the sink, she knew she wouldn't be so lucky.

"What's on your mind?", He leaned on the counter as he peered down at her.

She scrubbed at the dish hard, "Nothing. Just tired"

Dominic slowly nodded, his arms crossed over his chest, "So you think this plan will work?"

"I'm not sure... I want to see what we're up against first, and what we're working with. Rick wants everyone to chip in"

He remained silent until she looked at him, "...You don't think it's a little ridiculous that he's expecting us all to go out there with him?"

"No", She shook her head as she frowned at her hands submerged in water, "We will need a lot of hands for this to work"

"We?"

"Yes, we. We are living here, aren't we?", She finally looked up at him, "Then we're part of this"

He appeared reluctant to agree, "Yeah, fine"

"We can do this"

It was Dominic's turn to shake his head, "I can't, you can"

"You can", She insisted, turning her body to face him, "You just have to try, Dominic"

His expression darkened as he stood up straight, "You think I don't try?"

"I didn't say that I don't think you try, I'm saying you have to try. Everyone does"

"Well I do try", He snapped coldly, "I may not have got us here but I'm-"

"Hey!", She hissed, looking at him with disbelief, "What has gotten into you?"

Dominic huffed and puffed as he ran his hands over his smooth head, "I just want you to know I'm trying. I am. It may not seem like it but… But it's not easy. I'm not like you, I can't just-"

"I never said you weren't trying, I know you do and…", Michonne sighed, feeling as if she had been backed into a corner. The topic of Dominic's capabilities wasn't something either of them had touched upon until that moment. She knew she would have to be honest with him, "And I need you to try harder. We all need you to try harder. I'm not expecting you to have this all figured out overnight because I know I've… I've made this easy for you. I've made it easy for you to survive without having to do anything-"

"Do you resent me for that?", He questioned, dark brown eyes glued to her face.

Her mouth snapped shut. She never thought she would ever have to admit that she had felt some resentment towards him in the past, and she certainly didn't think it would come out in an argument, especially since they had never argued about anything.

"You do don't you?", He didn't look at her any longer, instead he rubbed his head furiously as he began to look around the kitchen aimlessly, "I don't know why I'm surprised… I shouldn't be. It makes sense-"

"If things were different I know you would do the same for me and the girls, Dominic", She explained softly, "I don't have any doubt about that"

"But that's not how it is. All I've been good for is scavenging… cooking", He scoffed, "I can't even hold a damn knife properly. Anything I've killed has been by accident-"

"Then let's change that", Michonne grabbed the dish cloth off the counter and dried her hands, "But I want you to know that I haven't always felt this way towards you. I've helped keep you safe because you are part of this family and I care about you. We all do"

Dominic blew out a breath as he shook his head again, no longer listening to her, "Well you won't have to anymore"

Michonne squinted at him as she crossed her arms over her chest, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll see… I'm going to bed", And with that he stomped around the island counter and out the kitchen, leaving Michonne to stare at his back with the most incredulous look she could muster.

Her little argument with Dominic played on her already crowded mind that night, leaving her unable to get proper rest. By the time morning rolled around she was irritable but knowing that her daughter's wouldn't hesitate to question why, She forced a cheery smile on her face when they came to find her in her bedroom.

"Calling him 'Rick' sounds weird", Colette curled her top lip as she looked at her mother, "I don't think I can do that"

"I think it's too soon to call him 'Dad' though", Elodie piped up, her gaze on the floor as Michonne braided her hair, "Right?"

"You can call him whatever you feel comfortable with", Michonne responded, glancing at Colette then Elodie, "Whether it's 'Rick' or 'Dad'..."

"He said we could go over to his house whenever we want", Colette informed, "Which is cool… I remember kids at school staying with their dad on the weekend and stuff… didn't think we'd ever do anything like that"

"Me neither", Elodie added, "...It kinda feels like things are still normal…"

"Yeah", Colette huffed as she climbed off the bed, "I'm starving"

"Me, too"

"Dominic might be finished with breakfast", Michonne pointed out softly as she completed the last braid in Elodie's hair, "Come on, let's go check"

"I don't think he's back yet?", Colette frowned at her mother, "He said he was heading out when I went downstairs earlier"

Michonne only froze for a second, "Oh?... Alright then… well that's no problem, we can get started on breakfast ourselves"

She could only hope that Dominic hadn't left the home to do something stupid, in order to prove himself to her. Residents were expected to leave Alexandria that morning and beginning working on the last part of Rick's plan, but truth be told, Michonne secretly wished Dominic would stay put if he wasn't in the right frame of mind to help.

With still no sign of him after their meal, Michonne and her daughter's left the home, partly in search of the man. There was barely a cloud in sky as they walked down the street, noticing residents leaving their homes and heading to the front of the town.

"We were just coming to find you guys", Carl greeted them with a smile as he rounded the corner with his sister in his arms, "Do you want to hang out?"

"Yeah, sure", Colette nodded, her eyes zeroing in on Judith, "Can I hold her?"

"Go ahead", Carl moved the toddler from his hip and held her out for Colette to take, "She's still a little sleepy"

"So are they", Michonne joked, giving Judith an exaggerated smile when they locked eyes, "Is Rick at the gate?"

"Yeah, I think so", Carl nodded, his dark hair bouncing on the top of his head.

"Alright, you girls know the rules-", Michonne was immediately met with two sets of groans as Colette and Elodie nodded. She snickered at them, "I'm glad that I don't have to repeat myself"

She watched the four of them step away from her before continuing towards the front gate, pleased to see that the children were getting along without any hiccups. Sadly the same couldn't be said for all the adults involved.

It was members of Rick's group that had lined up the vehicles by the gate and much to her surprise, Dominic was already there too, speaking with Abraham as the large red haired man puffed away on a cigar.

"You're riding with me, come on", Was the first thing Rick said when he crossed her path, not stopping for her response.

"What for?", She called, forcing him to stop but only for a second or two.

"Because you're gonna' be with me and Glenn"

"Alright, let's tear up some asphalt!", Abraham boomed as he adjusting his assault rifle on his shoulder, "Let's go!"

She finally made eye contact with Dominic but instead of coming over to her, he went in the other direction, heading towards one of the cars at the back. Michonne decided in that moment that she was quickly growing tired of his rebellion and misplaced anger towards her. She fixed her katana on her shoulder as she made her way to the first vehicle.

She sat in the back seat beside Glenn, while a man named Daryl drove them to the quarry. Rick did indeed explain to her what the three of them would be doing when they finally went through with the plan. She didn't have any objections with the role that he wanted her to play, and if anything she would prefer to be at the forefront of it all, but she couldn't help but wonder why he picked her when he could have easily picked one of his own help.

Almost half an hour later they arrived at a crossroads surrounded by trees, where Abraham explained that they would be blocking access to one of the roads in able to lead the dead down the other. The residents quickly got to work, while Michonne stationed herself as one of the look outs with her katana in hand. Having to behead the stray walkers that came along acted as a good release for her recent frustrations, as well as keep her senses sharp. She could still swing her blade with ease and move effortlessly, despite having been behind the walls of Alexandria for some time.

"How'd you get so good with that?", Morgan, a slightly older man asked, having introduced himself to her when they first took their places.

"Self-taught", She huffed, flicking her blade, "I never even held one of these before this"

Morgan's dark brows sprung up, "Really? That's good… hold on, I'll get this one"

Michonne watched the man use a long, thick Cane to take down a corpse that stumbled through the trees towards them, just as impressed with his own skills, when the heard a woman's cry nearby.

Several more walkers had appeared near the makeshift wall they were building, and the residents backed away in fear, grabbing hold of each other as they coward.

"Use your tools!", Rick ordered from a few feet away, his pistol in hand even though he was making no attempt to use them.

"Help us! Please!", One man yelled, his eyes wide with fear.

Michonne couldn't allow herself to stand back and watch the weaker residents be mauled to death, so she sprinted towards them, with Morgan right behind her. She heard Rick bark her name but she continued as if she hadn't, taking out the dead man nearest to her. Morgan ran past her to take out another, while an arrow whizzed past her head to take out the third.

The last walker was taken out by another arrow is it came barrelling towards her, and she was sure to thank Daryl with a nod of her head before setting her sights on Rick.

"You cannot throw people in the deep end like that when they haven't even stepped a foot outside the walls before", She issued in a harsh whisper as she invaded his space, "That shouldn't be the way that you do things here!"

Rick looked her dead in the eye for what only could have been a few seconds but felt like an eternity while he roared, "Let's get back to work!"

She snapped her eyes shut away from him as she went back to her original position, almost certain that she could feel his stern gaze burning into her back. Morgan flashed a brief little smile as he did the same, and they continued to man their post in silence.

By the time they were done setting up the road block Michonne was tired, annoyed and ready to return home to her girls. With Dominic still refusing to make eye contact with her, let alone speak to her, she returned to the first vehicle expecting the others to join her.

But instead, it was just Rick, "I think you and I need to have a little talk"

Michonne exhaled tiredly as she pushed off the vehicle, while Rick opened the passenger side door for her. She didn't see the point in objecting because she had a few more words for him also.

"Things haven't always been like this. I haven't always been like this but you can put it down to the fact that I don't take chances anymore. I've lost a lot of people that way, and I won't lose anymore. I can't afford to lose anymore, now more than ever", He glanced in her direction as they spoke, having gotten in the car and started driving back down to the highway, "For the first time in a long time we have somethan' to protect, somethan' that I didn't think we'd ever find. Those people back there have had it good… They haven't had to worry about a lot of thangs- and that's the problem. They don't realise that they've had what a lot of people wanted, and they weren't prepared when we turned up"

She was forced to look at him, "They weren't prepared?"

His focus didn't leave the road, "We knew what needed to be done and we did it. We're the ones who lived. They just sat and plan and hesitate. They pretended like they know when they didn't. They wished things weren't what they are. Well, they wanted to live? They wanted that place to stay standing? Then their way of doing things is done. Things don't get better because you want them to- we have to live in the real world. We have to have control. Their way was gonna' destroy that place. It's already gotten people killed and I'm not gonna stand by and just let it happen. We took over. We had to. We held them up one night, took control of the guns and I told them how it would be from now on"

It all began to make sense to Michonne, "And you didn't think you could work with them?"

"No. They didn't want us messing up what they had- they didn't want to see the truth. They didn't want to see how the world really was… so we had to show them"

She fixed her gaze on the windshield, beginning to understand how her daughters father saw the world, "And now what? You force them to be ready when you say so? And if they did then so what?"

"If I were to kick Dominic out when we got back, how long do you think he'll survive?", Rick glanced at her again as he asked the question, not missing the way her eyes darted back to him. He began to slowly shake his head, "He wouldn't. We both know that he wouldn't make it on his own, and he's not the only one. If somethan' happened tomorrow then you don't want someone like him up on the guard tower… you don't want someone like him to be responsible for the girls and that's what I'm trying to fix because we have a lot at stake here"

"There are other ways. Not everything has to happen with force", She countered in a low but firm tone, "Once you blur the lines between what's right and what's wrong then we all lose"

Rick didn't immediately respond to her remark, and Michonne began to question if he even heard her when he finally rasped, "Fine, help me run the place"

Her brows fell into a straight line, "What?"

"Help me run it", He repeated with a little shrug as he glanced at her a third time, "If you think we can handle thangs differently then I wanna' hear how"

She narrowed her eyes at him, "What's the catch?"

Michonne couldn't believe it when he smirked, "There is no catch. Just know that this is how it's gonna' be from now on. If I'm up front then so are you"

"...Fine", She confirmed easily, up for the challenge of balancing the unstable leader, "I'll do it"

"And one more thang…", He swiftly added, "I want you and the girls closer"

Michonne's eyebrows returned to a straight line, "Excuse me?"

"Back at Alexandria. You guys are on one side and we're on the other- I don't like that"

"The town isn't that big, Rick"

"I don't feel like I can be much of a father from a distance, even if it is a five minute walk away. I wanna' be able to see them every day and I want them to feel like they can come and have breakfast or dinner with us when they want"

She stared at the side of his face, "So what exactly is it that you're proposing here?"

"The house next door is empty. You could move in as soon as possible. It has plenty of room and it's just a nice as the one you're living in now"

Michonne didn't realise she was clenching her teeth until opened her mouth to speak and felt the pressure on her jaw disappear, "...How about you let me think about that?"

Rick bit his bottom lip as he slowly nodded, muttering a quiet, "Alright"

"We've only just gotten things going between you and the girls, and there are other people to consider in all of this"

Her last point seemed to rub him the wrong way, as she didn't miss the way his fingers tightened their grip on the steering wheel, but he still responded with a diplomatic reply, "Yeah. I got it. Get back to me on that"

Rick's determination to catch up with his fatherly duties was admirable to Michonne. The image of the crazed leader that she was first introduced to was finally peeling back layers to reveal the type of man he really was, which wasn't a bad man at all.

They arrived back at Alexandria on a better note from which they left and swiftly parted ways. She wanted to hang back and wait for Dominic, but she decided she would wait for him to approach her when he was finally ready to talk, so until then she intended to go home to see her girls and get ready for dinner at Rick's home.

"Michonne! Wait!"

She stopped when she reached the street they lived on after hearing Dominic's voice, doing her best to keep her expression neutral as she was still annoyed with him.

He panted as he caught up with her, and soon the words spewed from his lips as if he were throwing up, "I'm sorry, I've been a jerk- an asshole- after everything you've done- you've don't for me, you don't deserve that. I shouldn't have blindsided you like that last night- we talk about are problems, we always have and I'm sorry that I forgot that. You always put yourself on the line for everyone else and I shouldn't have lost sight of that. You're the reason I'm even alive today and I couldn't thank you enough for that"

Her eyes had widened to their full capability throughout his speech, completely taken aback by his declaration but pleased nonetheless, "That's really-"

"I love you, Michonne", Dominic grabbed hold of her hand and held it between both of his, "And I hate how distant we've grown through all of this, you've had to carry me and… it's not fair, and I do want to change that, I want to change everything between us. I want us to pick up where we left off, and I want you to be my wife".

A/N: Yes, I hate me, too.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven:

"Just aim it at the wall and throw it"

Rick stood back with a smile as he watched Colette by the stove, who was giving him a look of uncertainty, "I just throw it at the wall?"

"Yeah", He insisted, "Go on."

"It works", Carl grinned from the other side of the island counter with Judith sat between he and Elodie.

Colette huffed as she turned back to the wall behind the stove, and with one swift movement she threw a piece of spaghetti pasta against the tile, her eyes widening in shock when the food stayed put, "It stuck!"

"Told you. That's how you know when it's ready", Rick stepped back over to the pot, "So always remember that… but also remember to take it off before your mother sees it"

Colette snickered as she continued to watch him prepare their meal, "We've done worse"

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, one time we tried to make a cake like they did in the cartoons… just throwing everything in a big bowl and mixing it together-"

"It was your idea", Elodie ejected flatly as she frowned at her sister.

Colette gave her a brief side eye from over her shoulder in return, "It was a joint effort though… anyway, we threw in some eggs… with the shells...and some flour and milk… then mom came in"

"And what did she say about that?", Rick peered down at her with an amused smile as he turned the stove off.

"She put it in the oven… then she made us clean up the mess and made us taste it when it was done", Colette shuddered at the memory, "It was disgusting"

"And crunchy", Elodie added with a curled lip, causing Carl and Rick to chuckle at her.

"But they learned their lesson", Michonne announced as she strolled into the kitchen with her arms crossed, her eyes rolling from one twin to the other, "Didn't you girls?"

"Yeah… Get rid of the shells next time", Colette sniggered as she peeked back at her mother.

"And add sugar", Elodie giggled, "Lots of sugar"

Michonne sighed as she placed herself next to Carl, "This is what I have to deal with"

"At least they didn't set the kitchen on fire", Carl cackled while looking directly at his father, leading everyone's mouths to fall agape.

Rick straightened up as he tried to remain indifferent, "I don't know what you're talking about Carl"

"He was making pancakes- pancakes!", Carl explained, "There was so much smoke coming from the kitchen"

Michonne narrowed her eyes at Rick, "What kind of pancakes were you making?"

Rick slowly inhaled as he met her curious gaze, "...Just regular blueberry pancakes"

"Then what went wrong?"

"Everythan'..."

Her face lit up as she laughed, "Yeah, sounds like it"

Having Michonne and the twins in his home for the evening was running just as pleasantly as it had done the first time, and possibly even better with Dominic's absence. When Michonne informed him that her boyfriend had volunteered to go on watch with Abraham, Rick was surprised to say the least, but glad all the same. As far as he was concerned his message still stood, and Dominic's days were numbered.

They sat around the dining table when Rick was done preparing their meal and everyone quickly began to tuck in, while the conversation flowed.

"I can fit twelve marshmallows in my mouth... I used to hate bacon… and I can lick my elbow", Carl declared proudly, wearing a sly grin on his face.

Colette and Elodie eyed him suspiciously as they slowly chewed their food in unison. Rick found himself unable to look away as he found them fascinating. He noted how Colette had the more animated expressions out of the two, making it easier for Rick to see how she felt, while Elodie seemed a little shyer and possibly cautious. He knew there was so much more to them to learn and he was nearly desperate to know it all.

"I don't think you can lick your elbow", Colette finally replied to Carl, glancing at her sister as if they both agreed, "So that's the lie, the others are truths"

A sly grin appeared on Rick's face as he watched his son sit up with pride and proceed to bend his arm in a seemingly uncomfortable position in order to lick the joint. The twins gasped, while Michonne froze with her fork in hand.

"Wrong", Carl snickered, "The lie was I used to hate bacon"

"...I don't think a person should be able to do that", Elodie remarked with squinted eyes, "Unless something's broken…"

"A person also shouldn't be able to fit twelve marshmallows in their mouth but yet…", Rick sighed as he tipped his head towards his son, "Here we are"

Carl and the twins laughed as they continued with their game and Rick continued to feed Judith. He was enjoying watching his children interact but he found himself noticing a slight difference in Michonne's mood. Though she was joining in on the conversation, she only played with her food, moving it around the plate. She would smile and laugh along with the jokes and stories being told, but her gaze would drop to her plate seconds later. It bothered Rick, though he was secretly surprised to learn that she still behaved the same way when something was on her mind.

"We had a cat", Colette announced when everyone had finished their meal, "I bet you can't guess what her name was?"

"No one could ever guess what her name was", Michonne gave her daughter a knowing look, "You have to give them a clue"

Elodie hummed out loud, "...It's something to do with the weather…"

"The weather?", Carl repeated, "Like Sunny?"

"Nope", Colette shook her head gleefully, "Something else"

"...Rain? Storm?"

"You're getting warm", Michonne informed from behind her glass of water.

"...Wind?", Carl narrowed his eyes at the three of them, "Lightening?"

"Thunder?", Rick guessed while moving his own glass of water away from Judith before she could knock it over.

Colette grinned, "Yep, her name was Thunder"

"Thunder? Why Thunder?", Carl probed with a furrowed brow.

"She had different shades of grey on her body", Elodie explained as she swept a loose curl behind her ear, "And she was grumpy a lot... And scratched a lot"

"But we couldn't give her away, could we mom?", Colette peered at her mother sweetly, while Michonne wore a slightly regretful look on her face, which told Rick that she probably would have given the feline away if she had the chance.

"No… sadly we kept the… satanic cat", She joked through gritted teeth, "Eight years we had her for. Eight very, very long years"

Carl couldn't contain his laughter, "So what happened to her?"

Colette and Elodie both crossed their arms over their chest as they looked at their mother to answer the question, and Michonne sat back in her seat with a huff, "She ran away"

"Mom left the front door open", Colette amended with a flat tone as she squinted at Michonne, "She was an indoor cat and mom let her-"

"I was taking out the trash and she ran through my legs when I was half way at the door", Michonne explained further, "It was dark, I didn't even see where she went- she just disappeared"

"Sounds like she was planning an escape for months", Rick sniggered, stroking Judith hair back from her face as the little girl played with her empty juice cup.

"Me and Ellie think she was just picking up on mom's negative energy towards her", Colette added in a matter of fact tone as she looked at her mother with nothing but disappointment.

Michonne's mouth fell agape as she stilled, and Rick had to compose himself as he stood up, "Carl, help clear the plates please"

The environment in his home was a welcome difference and it was something that Rick wanted as a regular occurrence, which is why he had asked Michonne to move closer to him, Carl and Judith. Though the community wasn't large, he still wanted the girls and their mother close by because it meant that he could be near if they needed him, and they could easily cross over the street if they wanted to come over to his home to see Carl and Judith. Truth be told, he'd rather have them all in the same house but he knew he wouldn't be able to present that idea to Michonne just yet.

"Didn't I ask Carl to that?", Rick probed, watching Michonne stroll into the kitchen with the remaining plates.

"You did but they wanted another round of 'two truths and a lie'...", She informed quietly as she at the dishes down beside the sink, "I wasn't going to deny him that"

He smirked to himself as he piled the cutlery on top of each other, "He is going to love you"

"I'd be honoured if he did… he's a great kid- they both are"

Rick glanced at her, touched by her sentiment, "They sure are"

Michonne only raised her eyebrows in response to his remark as her gaze dropped for a countless time, turning to leave the kitchen, "Well if you need any help-"

"What's going on with you tonight?", Rick asked abruptly, resting his hands on the counter as he cocked his head to catch her gaze, "Did somethan' happen earlier?"

Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked at him, immediately shaking her head, "What? No. Nothing. Just have a lot on my mind"

He raised an eyebrow at her, "Yeah? What?"

She frowned at him with disbelief, "I said nothing, Rick. It has nothing to do with what's going on here"

"Then what?", He kept one hand on the counter as he turned to face her, "You think you can't talk to me?"

Her expression didn't change.

Rick sighed, "I don't think you and I should have that problem from this point on. You should be able talk to me and I should be able to do the same with you"

"I agree, but in regards to the girls- all of the kids… and the community", She clarified, folding her arms over her chest.

He narrowed his eyes at her, "This is about him?"

She tensed, her chest rising sharply but she gathered herself quickly, "We agreed that we wouldn't-"

"Did he do somethan'?", He pressed, "Somethan' that I wouldn't like?"

She blew out a breath, "Rick, please-"

"You can either tell me or I can find him and ask"

"It has nothing to do with you-"

"Would it have somethan' to do with the girls? Would it affect them?", He took a step closer to her, "Because if it does then I feel as though I have a right to know? If the shoe were on the other foot then I'd make sure you were the first to know-"

"He proposed, okay", She spat out in a harsh whisper, "Now lower your voice! They don't know!"

Rick blinked at her, "Dominic proposed to you? He asked you to marry him? He did that- he asked you that today?"

She exhaled through her nose, "Yes, Rick."

A new found rage began to simmer in the fiery pits of his stomach, "And what did you say to that?"

"I told him we had to talk", She threw her hands up in the air in exasperation, "Because we do… it's… we just have to talk"

He slowly began to nod as he was about to turn back to the sink but he felt compelled to ask, "...So that's not somethan' you want?"

He could tell by the way she inhaled that she was thinking about her answer, "Things are different from before… we get so caught up with surviving that everything else goes on the back burner. It's not easy to just pick up where you left off when you finally do get a moment to catch your breath. Sometimes it's too late… you've been in a strange place for too long"

"That's… yeah. I get it", He wasn't expecting to relate to her words. They struck a chord with him, tapping into old feelings he struggled with towards the end of his own marriage. He forced himself to repress them once more. His focus was on Michonne, "It's not easy… and sometimes we have just have to accept that thangs won't ever be the same again, even when you do get a chance to catch your breath"

Her expression softened, if only for the briefest moments, "Yeah…"

He relented, "...But… you're right, it's none of my business and I'll let you handle that then"

She looked surprised once again, her dark brown eyes combing over his face, "Thank you"

Lying to Michonne made Rick feel grossly uncomfortable, but he needed her to feel as though she could trust him. If she knew that he would rather that Dominic met an early demise than marry her, then she wouldn't be very pleased with him at all, and Rick couldn't have that. As the mother of his twins and newly appointed partner, he felt that they needed to be on the same page. He saw the look in her eyes when he did nothing to help the residents put by the quarry; she was livid with him, and he didn't want to be on the receiving end of such a strong negative reaction again.

The community had a large task on their hands that needed to be dealt with as soon as possible, so Rick had to put thoughts of Dominic to the back of his mind the next day went the residents returned to the quarry. He needed for the residents to see what they were up against, and he couldn't think of a better way to do that then to take them to the source of the threat.

"Today is just a dry run", He explained from the top of a vehicle, hand pointing towards the sea of walkers, "We're gonna' go over the route and get rid of any possible distractions that could lead them to break away- That means any other walkers, too"

Rick could see the worry already etched all over some of the resident's faces and it frustrated him more than anything.

"They can easily get trapped, they can make a lot of noise and we don't want that so we have got to take them out-"

"Couldn't we just move another truck there to stop them?!", He should have known Carter would have something to say, "Isn't that the safe option here!"

Rick stared at the man, ready to shoot down his idea a loud creak came from behind him. He spun around, looking at one of trucks that were perched dangerously close to the edge.

"That rock's gonna' give out!", Daryl already had his weapon raised as he stepped away from the crowd.

His closest friend was right. The front of the vehicle began to slip, the gravel beneath the driver side wheels disappearing at an alarming rate. Rick pulled his pistol free, "We're gonna' have to do this now!"

"What! We can't-", One of the residents protested, just as the truck finally tipped, sending the carriage toppling off the side of the cliff and crashing the walkers below. The dead surged forward, no longer trapped and free to make their way towards the group.

Rick began barking orders from his place on top of the car, hand pointing one way or the other as he tried to give out as much information as possible while keeping an eye on the herd, "...Carter, Scott, Glenn, Nicholas and Dominic get a head start- Me, Morgan and Michonne will be right behind you-"

"Alright let's go!", Abraham boomed from his vehicle with Sasha, banging the side of the car with his fist for dramatic effect.

It dawned on Rick as he jumped from the rooftop of the car that he had to be prepared to lose people that day. He could see who was ready and who was not, and sadly most were the latter. With hundreds of walkers making their way out of the quarry, they didn't have time to prepare any further, nor could they abandon the plan.

He could still see the other group ahead of them as he ran beside Michonne and Morgan. His thoughts bounced from worrying about his friends to worrying about what could go wrong.

"Alright?", He panted as they slowed, having reached the first quarter of their route. Morgan simply nodded as he rested his hands on his sides, while Michonne looked as if she had just taken a leisurely stroll.

"Fine", She answered easily, "...How about you, old man?"

Morgan fought back a smile as Rick frowned at her, "Excuse me?"

She shrugged playfully as she looked the other way, "Nothing."

He continued to stare at the side of her face, " _Old man_ \- we should be the same age by now?"

Michonne didn't say anything further but he could see her shoulders tremble as she chuckled to herself. The fact that she could still joke around at such a time made Rick relax to some degree. She wasn't afraid, she actually seemed quite the opposite. Whether that was because she also had faith in his plan or because she had faced worse, Rick didn't know, but it was a nice distraction.

When they heard the familiar hum of Daryl's motorcycle approaching, the trio began to run again, only stopping once again to shoot the occasional flares to keep the walkers interest. With everything going accordingly, Rick was beginning to question whether he should have been so quick to doubt the other residents. He hasn't received any distressed calls on the walkie talkie he carried, and by the time they had reached the long stretch of woods along the highway, the first group had already found their places in the line-up, ready to police the walkers like police to a parade.

"Tobin and the others are on the other side, a little further up ahead", Glenn quickly informed Rick, "They're ready"

"Good", He replied, wiping his brow with the back of his hand, "They're only a few minutes behind us-"

"Shit!", Scott cursed, pointing his handgun between the trees as a few stray walkers emerged, growling their way towards the group.

"No!", Michonne called to Scott as she pulled her sword free and swung the blade to a low position, "No guns"

She moved stealthily through the trees on her own, and while Rick agreed that they shouldn't use guns he still held his pistol just in case, though he soon learnt that it wasn't necessary. Her blade swung through the air with speed and precision, heads falling away from their bodies.

"We're coming up!", Daryl barked through the walkie talkie on Rick's waistband.

He tore the device free, his eyes glued to Michonne, "We're waiting"

Glenn tapped Scott to get him moving, "Alright come on"

With the walkers down, Rick took the small window of opportunity to look in Dominic's direction, and he was hardly surprised when the other man did the same. He didn't know whether Michonne got a chance to speak with him or not, but he did know that Dominic was in the middle of proving himself to her, which is probably why he announced, "I can hang back with you guys"

Rick ignored him, "Carter, Nicholas and Dominic head near the front- behind Glenn and Scott"

"Got it", Morgan nodded, already being to double back on their path.

The road was soon carpeted with walkers blindly following the vehicles in front of them. The group crept through the trees alongside them, hoping to make it through the last quarter unscathed when a blood curdling scream broke the through the collective growls, leading Rick to break out into a run.

Carter screamed as he clutched at the gushing wound on his face, falling to the floor as the walker tried to claw at him from between the two tree trunks.

"Oh my god, oh my god", Nicolas chanted, backing away with trembling hands as he peered down at his neighbour with wide eyes, so consumed with shock that he didn't see the second walker approach him from behind until he was in its clutches.

Rick pulled his knife free as reached the first walker and quickly plunged into his head before grabbing hold of the one that had Nicolas by the neck. The man fell to the floor, blood gushing down his front as he keeled over, eyes still wide with fright.

"Shit! What do I do?!", Dominic quizzed hurriedly as he tried to silence Carter on the ground, "What do I do?!"

"What's happening?! They're breaking off!", Glenn declared through the walkie talkie on Rick's waist band as he knelt down beside Carter. Without giving it any thought he impaled the frantic man in the side of the head.

Rick saw the wall of walkers came through the trees as he stood up, their cover blown, "We need to get them back on the road-"

"How?!", Dominic declared incredulously, looking up at Rick with vengeful eyes, "How are you gonna' do that without getting the rest of us killed?!"

Rick grabbed Dominic by his bicep and yanked him up to stand, "Lower your Goddamn voice now and come on!"

"Get off of me!", Dominic yanked his hand free, "Look at what you've done- this is your fault! You brought us out here and you're going to get everybody killed because you're a fucking psychopath that has something to prove-"

Rick knew that if he raised his pistol he would get the irrational man's attention, "I'm trying to save your life right now when I _really_ wanna' do the opposite, so keep it moving before I change my mind!"

Sadly for Rick it wasn't his gun that caught Dominic's attention, it was instead another walker that had snuck up behind Rick and tried to grab hold of his arm. He wrestled out of the rotting woman's grip and shoved her away just as Dominic made a break for it, running towards the front of the line-up.

"Son of a bitch", Rick growled, pulling his walkie talkie free as he started in the same direction, "Abe! Honk the horn! They're breaking off into the woods!"

"The dam horn doesn't work! Damn things probable corroded!", Abraham complained back through the walkie talkie, "We'll fire off a flare!"

Rick continued to run as he kept his eyes on Dominic's back, "They might not see it- don't waste it-"

"Ahh!", Dominic yelled as a tall walker lunged for him, taking them both down to the ground.

Rick growled as he sped up, about to pull the growling monster off Dominic when he was grabbed by the arm. He pulled himself free and kicked the female walker back against another one as Dominic's screams grew. He backed away to see the man being fed upon, one on his leg and the other on his throat. Rick released a tired groan as he wiped his brow, watching as more and more walkers covered Dominic, until the screams stopped and all he could hear was even more groans.

"Rick! They're all breaking away!", Morgan announced as he ran ahead of Michonne, the end of his shaft covered in blood.

"We need to get to the front!", Rick ordered, kicking another walker away from him, "Come on!"

"Who was that?!", Michonne quizzed as she peered at the walkers in horror as she ran passed them.

It dawned on Rick that one thing that he had neglected to consider was how Dominic's death would affect Michonne and the Girls. He may not have cared for the man but they did, and there was a chance that they would be devastated all the same. He decided that he couldn't break the news to Michonne in such dire circumstances so he continued to run, refusing to look back at her as he lied, "Nicolas- it was Nicolas".


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight:

Michonne could feel her body growing tired but she pushed on. They only had a mile left to run after all, and she was certain she could do it. The walkers were no longer in an orderly line but they still followed relentlessly. Rick had said that Abraham would shoot off a flare once they were out of the woods to draw them back in. In spite of everything going to plan, she still felt worry brewing in her stomach.

She knew they were behind the others, but having seen a group of walkers devouring Nicolas, she worried for Dominic. She knew it easily could have been him. He wasn't cut out for such a task and she wished he had stayed back at the Safe Zone, but he wanted to prove himself to her, to Rick, and probably to everyone, even those who didn't care. That was all he cared about and all it did was make Michonne nervous.

Every aspect of their relationship changed when the world started to decay. She would have happily accepted his marriage proposal beforehand, and she was certain that she wouldn't have had to think twice. Back then they were equals, they both supported the household, they both took care of the household and they both put in the same amount of effort to keep it running. It was ideal, and more importantly it worked for them.

But when that was no longer the case and she became the sole protector and the sole provider, she saw him differently. She would never say it aloud, but she nearly saw him as one of her children. She easily felt like the mother to all three members of her family, and soon enough their relationship began to deteriorate.

When they arrived at Alexandria she believed that they could reconnect, she wanted to give him some sort of responsibility and she wanted to feel as though he was her partner once again, but that wasn't the case, and his childish behaviour in recent days did him no favours. While she still cared for him and a part of her still loved him, she was ready to part ways with him romantically, and she was ready to tell him so when they returned at the end of the day. She had to, or else he would continue to put himself in harm's risk for arguments sake.

The bright red flare caught her attention as it shot up in the air, pulling her attention away from her thoughts. Rick and Morgan began to slow down, so Michonne looked back to see all the walkers gazing up at the streak of smoke left by the flare. They trio began to back away with the attention no longer on them.

Her heart still pounded in her chest and continued to do so until they were out of harm's way and able to rest within the trees.

"They'll take it from here", Rick panted, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand as he crouched on the floor, "There should be car waiting on the other side of these trees on an abandoned side road, the others should already be there waiting for us"

Michonne slowly nodded as she scoped the area, "Alright, let's get going then. No point stopping now"

She didn't give either man a chance to argue as she marched ahead. The sun would start to set soon, and it wouldn't be safe for any of them to remain out for too long. She wanted everyone to return home safely, and she wanted to return home to her girls and make sure they were okay.

It was obvious that she wasn't the only one feeling the physical strain of their long trek; both Rick and Morgan were a little more sluggish in their movements, and while Morgan only spoke when spoken to, Rick only spoke to give instructions. Luckily for them the gruelling part of the task was over, and all they had left to do was make it home.

"You're limping", Rick pointed out in a light tone as he caught up with her.

Michonne glanced down at the leg that was giving here trouble, "Yeah... It's an old injury"

"Slow down if it's bothering you"

"It's fine, let's just keep going", She shook her head dismissively as she powered on, even though she could still feel Rick's attention on her, so she repeated herself, "I'm fine. It just plays up when I'm on it too long…"

"What happened?", He enquired, still looking at her leg.

She squinted into the distance when she was sure she could see what they were looking for, but still proceeded to explain the injury, "In the beginning… when we were leaving Atlanta, we got into a car accident, my leg was trapped until someone eventually helped Never got a chance to get to a hospital"

"...Where were the girls?"

"Right there with me. I told Dominic to take them somewhere safe but they didn't move", Michonne began to smile, "They didn't argue or put up a fight… In fact, I don't remember either of them saying anything at all... they just sat by me, silently refusing to move"

Rick blew out a breath, "Is that a word to the wise?"

Her smile widened, "I guess it is; Don't try to force them to do _anything_ "

"I was thinking more along the lines of; Don't try to force them _away from their mother_ "

She peered at him from the corner of her eye, "That too"

A crooked smile appeared on Rick's face as he looked ahead, but it didn't last for long and Michonne quickly saw why. Glenn and Scott were the only two waiting by the vehicle, and they looked equally confused to see only the Trio appear.

"Where are the others?", Scott stepped forward to ask, his dark skin pebbled with sweat as if they'd also been running as some stage, "Carter? Nicolas?"

Michonne could feel something terrible brewing in her stomach, but still did her best to remain calm as she spoke, "Nicolas didn't make it"

"Neither did Carter", Rick announced with a sigh, scratching the corner of his brow with his thumb, "Or Dominic"

Even though Michonne had heard what he said clearly, she still found herself asking, "What?"

"The three of them were ahead of me, Carter was bit first- that's what caused the herd to break off", Rick explained firmly, "I got to there and Carter was screaming, then Nicolas was bit-"

"God", Scott breathed, dragging both hands over his face as he began to step away from the group.

Rick turned his attentions to Michonne and lowered his voice, wearing a look of great regret, "I tried to get him out of there- but he wouldn't listen. He ran straight into them and even then I still tried to help him but…"

Michonne felt as if her ear drums were beginning to throb. She could see that Rick was still talking to her but she couldn't hear a word that he said. Her mind was growing busier by the second, and before she knew it she couldn't concentrate on anything or anyone. It was a surreal feeling; almost as if she had tuned out all her surroundings and submerged herself in the hundreds of thoughts that raced through her mind. If Rick hadn't touched her on the arm then she probably wouldn't have snapped out of it, but the second she did, she found herself immediately filled with rage as she barked, "Don't you dare touch me! Don't you ever touch me again!"

Rick didn't initially move, either out of shock or defiance, but soon enough he took a small step back, his hands raised to signal that he had heard her. Glenn, Scott and Morgan shared the same dumbfounded look from behind him, not daring to say a word of make a move as they watched the stand-off between the two.

Michonne could have sworn her heart was about to beat out of her chest, so she forced herself to take several deep calming breaths before heading over to the car.

She couldn't remember a time when she felt so overwhelmed. She was upset, frustrated and angry all at the same time. They weren't easy emotions to express, especially when the person she that caused them was dead and gone. She couldn't yell or scream at him for being thoughtless, nor could she scold him for putting himself in danger. He was ripped from her life without her knowledge and there was nothing she could have done to stop it.

They eventually made the journey back to Alexandria in deafening silence. Rick took out whatever frustration he had on the car; slamming the door when he was seated, shoving the key in the ignition and navigating the joystick with unnecessary force. If Michonne wasn't busy descending into her thoughts again then it would have bothered her, but she couldn't care less if she tried. She didn't even care that the three innocent men in the backseat had to sit through the tension filled car ride. None of it mattered to her.

As soon as they did arrive back at the Safe Zone she exited the vehicle before it came to a full stop, and made a beeline for her home. She hoped they would be there waiting for her but she knew there was a chance that they were either at Mickey's or Rick's home with Carl and Judith. She discovered soon enough that she was right.

The house empty, and her calls went unanswered when she stood at the bottom of the stairs. She huffed as she pulled dropped her katana in its sheath on the floor and took a seat on the bottom step, needing a moment alone before she stepped outside again, but it was as if she wasn't allowed such a pleasure, since her front door burst open only seconds after she sat down.

"I need to talk to you, I need to tell you what happened", Rick declared as he closed the door behind him, breathing deeply, "I don't want you to think that-"

"I want to be alone right now", She warned, balling her fists on her lap, "Why can't you understand that?"

"I tried to save him, Michonne", He continued, stalking his way through the home until he was right in front of her, "But he just wouldn't listen- he was in shock and he was scared and If it wasn't for you and the girls then I would have left him because he wasn't just putting himself in danger, he would have took us all down with him, and I hate to say that to you now but you know how I felt about him but still I… I tried- I didn't tell you when it happened because I wanted you out of there. I needed to make sure I got you out of there-"

"What I'm feeling right now has nothing to do with you, Rick", She bit out through gritted teeth as she smoothed her hair away from her face, her eyes beginning to sting from tears that threatened to fall, "So can you please-"

"I'm sorry", He breathed as he crouched down in front of her, his piercing blue eyes wide and glistening. Dried blood was splattered on his t-shirt, and his hair was still stuck to his forehead but he continued to apologise, and even boldly reached out and took her hand, "I mean it, I am-"

"Don't!", She tried to pull her hand out of his grip but he was just as strong as she was.

"I don't mean to go against what you asked but I need you to know that I know what you're feeling", He insisted, his voice strained as he stressed his point, "You thought you had time to talk to him? You thought you had time to decide what would happen between the two of you? And then all of sudden he's just not there anymore- you didn't even get a chance to say goodbye. You didn't even get a chance to save him. Even if thangs between the two of you fell apart you still would have protected him, you would have still wanted him safe because that's how it's always been…"

Michonne used her free hand to cover part of her face as cried, unable to bottle up her feelings any longer, while Rick kneeled on one knee and encased her in his arms, his chin resting atop of her head.

"I've been there, I understand it and I don't want you to push me away because I wanna' be here for you. I wanna' be here for the girls when you tell them. I don't want this to drive a wedge between us because we were starting to work together", He lowered his head to look at her, "Please?"

She sniffed as she wiped her eyes with the sides of her fingers, still wishing she were alone but not as much as she initially did. Rick was offering her some comfort even if she didn't wish for him too. There was a great deal of sincerity behind his words and she didn't doubt that he was being honest, but it was all too much for her to accept so soon. Their eyes met and she had parted her lips to thank him when he closed the small space between them and kissed her. It was effectively a just peck, his lips pressed against hers tenderly and she only inhaled a brief whiff of the earthy and bloody scent that radiated from him, yet still it was a kiss, one she did not ask for or expect.

It didn't last long, a few seconds at most, but that didn't matter to Michonne. She was stunned into stillness until he pulled away, and judging by the look on his face, he was just as surprised by his actions.

"Shit", He cursed under his breath as he stood to his full length, "Mich-"

"You should probably leave now", Michonne order softly, refusing to look up at him, "If the girls are at your house then send them home"

He sighed with defeat as he nodded, running his hand over his mouth as he agreed, "...Yeah. Alright"

She looked the other way as started for the door, her thoughts gearing up to race around her mind once again.

 **…**

"Olivia snuck us some when we told her it's your favourite"

Michonne smiled at Colette as she took the Ziploc bag containing five blocks of chocolate, "You girls didn't have to do that"

Colette sat back on the couch beside her mother, her hair sitting in a damp knot on the top of her head as she was fresh from the shower, "We did"

"We wanted to", Elodie added from the other side of Michonne, resting a comic book on her lap, "A small way to cheer you up"

Michonne sighed happily as she opened the bag and gave them each a square, "Thank you, girls"

"It's okay… There were six but we gave one to Judith", Colette snickered, "She loved it"

"I'm glad she did.", Michonne stared at her katana hanging above the mantle as she slowly chewed her piece of chocolate, savouring the sweet taste until she noticed Elodie fidgeting beside her. The younger twin seemed as if she were looking at the comic book on her lap, but her eyes darted all over the page while her fingers rubbed at the corner of the book nervously. Michonne then looked at Colette, who had taken her hair down and began detangling her curls with her fingers. She sighed, "What is it?"

Elodie opened her mouth to reply, but quickly shut it, while Colette squirmed In her seat, "We were just wondering... if we should have a little place for... Dominic?"

Michonne furrowed her brows, "A little place?"

"Like… a special tree or stone… in his memory?", Elodie chimed, closing the comic book or stone, "We can all go out and find somewhere… I asked Dad, he said its okay"

Michonne was touched to learn that her daughters were thinking about doing such a thing, even going as far to ask Rick for permission. She also tried to her amazement at hearing her daughter referrer to Rick as 'Dad' so casually. She knew they felt comfortable calling him that around her and had yet to use it with him, but it was still something she was getting used to. She placed a hand on each of their knees, "Would you like to do that?"

Elodie nodded, "Yeah. I think it would be nice…"

"I think we kind of owe it to him…", Colette shrugged one of her shoulders as she dropped her gaze.

"Owe it to him? What makes you think that you would you owe him something?", Michonne quizzed gently.

Colette huffed as she tore her fingers through her hair, "Because we were all he had left? He didn't have anyone else... And we weren't always easy to deal with… we ignored him half the time… but he still stuck around"

"We could have been nicer to him", Elodie said sadly, "He did used to look after us when you were gone. He wasn't mean to us or anything like that… And I guess we always thought he'd always be there in the background… making dinner or telling really bad jokes"

"Yeah, really bad jokes", Colette repeated dryly, causing Michonne to smile weakly, "So we just want to do something for him. And you. And us… All of us"

Michonne bit the inside of her cheek when she felt her eyes start to well up with tears, not wanting to disrupt the honest tone of their conversation, "That's a great idea, and I'm glad you can both see that he did care about you. I know it wasn't easy for either of you to accept someone new in our lives but he always meant well when it came to the two of you"

"We know", Elodie placed her head her mother's shoulder and Colette did the same. Michonne rolled her eyes up to the ceiling as she tried to stop herself from crying, hoping neither of them would notice. Colette huffed once again, "...Are you going to start coming to dad's again?"

Michonne tried not to tense, "I will. I've just needed a little time to myself, that's all"

"We get it, Mom…", Elodie piped up, "Take all the time you need want"

"But…", Colette sat up and looked directly at her with a serious expression, "He's acting disturbed... again"

That wasn't something Michonne hadn't noticed, even though she had succeeded in trying to avoid him for almost three weeks.

The twins would go over to his house but return before dark, or Carl would bring Judith over and she would send them home before their father had to look for them. He would arrange town meetings and she would remain at the back of the chapel, often leaving before it was over. If she saw him in the street or the pantry then she'd give him a wide berth, refusing to even look in his direction. She didn't have to wonder if what she did was bothering him, because Rick Grimes wasn't the type of man to hide how he felt. She'd hear him yell over things that didn't warrant such a reaction, and if she heard a door slam nearby then she figured that he was the reason why. He was back to barking orders, though he never truly stopped, but now he barked every order. His only saving grace was that he had enough sense to curb his attitude around the children of Alexandria.

Michonne only saw his behaviour an annoyance because she didn't think he had any right to be throwing his weight around, considering that it was him that kissed her not long after breaking the news that he had witnessed her boyfriend's death, but the time was coming for her to swallow her grievances with him for everyone else's sake, specifically the Carl and the girls. She had agreed to help him run the Safe-zone but that would be impossible to do if neither of them were speaking to each other. She forced herself out of mourning for Dominic, and put all thoughts of him to the back of her mind for the time being.

"How about these? I've used them a couple of times in a casserole, and they do just fine"

Michonne took the can of black beans from Maggie, and gave them a quick inspection, "You know what, these might actually work. If not then you might get some direct complaints from my girls… and maybe Carl. And Judith"

Maggie chuckled as she rested a hand on her blossoming bump, "Rick told me about those four and I think it's adorable"

Michonne was almost astonished to hear that Rick had told someone about their situation, since he seemed to keep that information strictly to himself, "Yeah, it is sweet. They took this whole thing much better than either of us expected"

"Well kids are much more resilient and understanding than we give them credit for"

"It's true, especially Carl, poor thing now has two teenaged sisters to annoy him", Michonne smirked as she picked up another can of beans of the shelf. When she didn't receive a response from Maggie she looked up, and saw the other woman staring at her with a pensive frown. Michonne inhaled sharply, "What exactly did Rick tell you?"

"...Just that they were inseparable, and always over at his house…", Maggie cringed, then lowered her voice as she repeated, "Sisters? They're Rick's kids too?"

Michonne bit her lips together as she nodded, wishing she had asked the woman what she meant before making her comment, "Yeah. Sister's"

"So you and Rick?... Before he and Lori?"

It was the first time Michonne had heard Carl's mother's name, "Yeah, long before… We were sixteen… he actually didn't know anything about them until we got here"

"Oh", Maggie leaned against the shelves with her mouth agape, "...That explains quite a lot."

"I guess it does", Michonne agreed.

"Well, at least the two of you have figured this out and are getting along. That's great for them, and for the two you"

"Yeah, it's great", Michonne nodded a little too enthusiastically, but she didn't think she needed to disclose thing else to one of Rick's closest friends. She continued to pick up a few more items with Maggie in tow until they both completed their time in the pantry with a box each, filled with their share of food for the week.

It was the middle of the day and the sun was at its highest point. Maggie had informed Michonne that Rick had called another town meeting later that day, but she had already volunteered to go on watch at the gate for a few hours. It was something to do, something that kept her mind sharp and a chance for her to practise her shooting. She wanted to remind Colette and Elodie that she would be away for part of the afternoon, and it was while she was making a mental note to do so that she spotted Rick making his way down the steps of her front porch. He stopped on the pavement when he saw her coming, and raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sun.

Michonne withheld a sigh and continued to stroll to her home, but came to a halt almost a yard away from him.

Rick squinted at her as he pushed the sleeves of his shirt further up his arm, "I just stopped by to talk to Carl"

She nodded as she looked towards her front door, knowing that all the kids in the community had chosen to congregate in her home that day, "That's fine"

"...Do you have a minute?"

Her gaze rolled back to meet his as she readjusted her hold on the box, "Now?"

"Yeah", He shifted his stance, transferring his weight from one leg to another, "I just wanna' talk"

Michonne had already decided that she would have to speak to him at some point, so it made sense to get it over and done with, "Fine. Let me put these down."

"Alright".


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I need to start off by apologising for not warning you angels before I took a little hiatus - I had to take a break because I was losing my mind (again) BUT thank you so much for all the kind messages I've received! Xoxo They have helped A LOT - I'm trying to get back into writing regularly again and I need to figure out what my new schedule will be (though I really want to stick to every Sunday) I might just have to cut down on the amount is fics I update… I'll let you guys know either way - Until then I hope you enjoy! xoxo

Chapter Nine:

"...You've been avoiding me, and I understand why. I did somethan' that I shouldn't have, at a time when you didn't need that, and I'm sorry."

Rick watched Michonne closely as he spoke, while she kept her gaze low and away from him, but he still continued, "I wanted to come by and apologise sooner but I figured that you might not want me around. I'm trying to respect that- what you want. I'm trying to respect what it is that you want. I wasn't trying to make matters worse for you, or confuse you… I just wasn't thinking"

He wished he could see what she was thinking, but the fact of the matter was he didn't have a clue, and she didn't give him a hint either. She eventually looked up at him with eyes that held a familiar kind of sadness, "...We can put that behind us, I don't want it to interfere with what we have to do here"

Rick sat back in the pew feeling a tad confused, "...What we have to do here?"

"You asked me to help you run this place and I said I will. I meant that.", She explained, "And we have the kids to think about. They're old enough to know when something's off, and I don't want them to pick up on any tension between us. They like what's happening here and they're getting along great so I don't want anything to ruin that"

There was something about her words that left Rick feeling uncomfortable. Although he did agree with the points she made and he did wish for things to go back to normal between the two of them, a part of him wanted to hear her speak on their kiss. It was in poor choice for him to choose to kiss her at such an inappropriate time and he did regret that side of things, but there was no denying that it felt right for him to do so.

When he was crouched down in front of her, holding her while she cried and trying in earnest to show her that she wasn't alone, he felt certain that it was his place to do so. Everything he said and everything he did come straight from the heart, and when she looked up at him with glistening eyes he saw need. The same need that he had looked for at times of devastation. A need for someone to make sense of what was happening and a need for console.

In hindsight he could admit that a kiss may not have been what she needed, but he was so swept up in the moment that all reasoning had escaped him, and now he was paying for it.

"...Rick?"

He snapped out of his thoughts and saw that Michonne was waiting for his response. He cleared his throat as he nodded, "Yeah, uh, you're right. I won't allow that to happen either"

She eyed him for a second or two before moving to the edge of the pew to stand, "Well then-"

"Hold on", He raised a hand to stop her, not wishing for her to leave just yet, "Uh...Have the girls spoken to you about doing somethan' for...Dominic?"

She stilled, "They have."

He blew out a breath, "Alright. Well um, I told them I can take them out and help them find a nice spot in advance-"

"You don't have to", She replied in a dismissive tone that caught Rick off guard, but she immediately softened, "I mean… I really want to do this with them. They admitted some things to me last night that… I always knew, but finally hearing it… it helped. And the fact that they even thought to do something for him-"

"I get it", He insisted tenderly, "That's fine."

She looked around the front of the chapel aimlessly, as if she were looking for the next thing to say when one if the doors creaked open.

"Uh, Rick?", Father Gabriel spoke in a feebly, "I have to…"

Rick raised an eyebrow at the man, giving him one of the most threatening looks he could muster in the space of a few seconds. Gabriel sighed in defeat as he backed up and closed the door.

Michonne frowned at Rick as she crossed her arms over her chest, "That needs to stop"

His face smoothed as he looked at her, "What?"

"That. The way you treat people. If you try to lead with fear alone then they will resent you for it, and that will divide a community not build one"

Rick exhaled through his nose as he dragged his hand down his face, "Yeah, I get it-"

"No you don't", She ejected firmly, "Because at the end of this day, there will still be only a select few that you'd fight for, and you can't continue to look at things that way. There are a lot of dangerous things out there and I don't just mean walkers, and I suspect that you know that very well"

He tilted his head as he looked at her, "I do"

"Then you also know not only is there safety in numbers but there's safety in loyalty. You want everyone here to stand by each other- to stand behind you when the time comes that we need to protect this place. We can't let our personal problems decide whether that happens or not"

Rick scratched the side of his ever growing beard as he took the time to accept her message, "I understand that"

Michonne's darted up and down his face as if she were trying to look for any sign of dishonesty, and when she found none she looked away. He glanced back towards the chapel doors knowing that Gabriel probably hadn't gone far, so he prepared to the up their talk when she announced, "I thought you told Maggie about the girls"

His light brows sprung to life, "Maggie?"

"Yeah. I though she did, but she does now"

"Oh", Rick dropped his gaze to the ground as he realised just what that meant, "That's fine"

She finally rose from her seat and faced towards the back of the room, "And I won't be here for the meeting later"

"I know, I'll come talk to you about it after", He responded, also rising from his seat.

"Okay", She replied quietly as she started for the door.

Rick couldn't honestly admit what he was expecting from his first conversation with her in weeks, and he really shouldn't have been surprised that she simply vouched to sweep the incident under the rug, but he still came away feeling that same frustration that he had been carrying around beforehand, now for a different reason.

They both were about to step out of the chapel when Gabriel appeared with eyes wide with alert, closing the door quickly behind him, "There's people here"

Rick stepped forward, "What?"

"People- I saw them, they have knives", Gabriel spluttered, "Two of them, running through the bushes- they were dressed in dark clothes- dirty clothes"

Rick instinctively reached for his waistline, expecting to feel his Colt but he had purposely left it in his home earlier that day, "Shit"

"We need to warn everyone", Michonne announced while Rick marched up to the door and cracked it open.

"Which way did they go?", His hissed back Gabriel, eyes looking in every direction he could.

"Uh, up the street? N-near the solar panels", Gabriel informed with a stutter as he fidgeted nervously.

Rick closed the door and looked back at Michonne, "I'm gonna' head over to the armoury, you go-"

"I need to get to the house", She insisted firmly, "I'll find you"

Rick didn't think he had the time to tell her that that was exactly what he was going to tell her do, so he nodded and turned back to the door, cracking it open again to see if they were free to leave. When he was certain the coast was clear they snuck out, Rick running in one direction and Michonne in the other.

At first glance the community appeared undisturbed, almost as if nothing were fine, until Rick caught a glimpse of someone running between the homes on the edge of the Safe Zone. It was then that a switch in his mind flicked to hunter mode.

"Psst! Hey!"

He stopped by the wall of the nearest home to him and looked around, knowing he heard someone call but he couldn't see who.

"Over here!"

Rick crouched down and squinted at the tall grass nearby, where he was sure he could make out a familiar face, "You see them?"

Daryl nodded before springing from the grass and making his way to Rick in a low sprint, "I've seen four of 'em so far"

"Gabriel said he saw two, so that's six", Rick breathed, eyes darting from one place to the other, "We need to get to the armoury and warn the others-"

A woman's scream erupted nearby, causing both men to look in the direction from where it came. Daryl hissed, "There's our warning"

"Let's go!", Rick rose from his position and the two of them began to run behind the homes, looking out for the intruders. Adrenaline was already coursing through his veins, even though they knew nothing about what they were up against, Rick didn't need to. There was a threat present and in his mind, it needed to be eliminated.

The sound of gurgling caught their attention as they prepared to cross the street, and lying in on the lawn was a resident that neither of them had spoken to directly, but one they recognised as Mrs Niedermeyer. Blood poured from the wound on her neck, Daryl pulled out his hunting knife and moved towards her while Rick kept watch, and it was then that he finally caught sight of the trespassers.

Men and women dressed in all black darted from home to home, twice as many as he suspected, but they all carried knives. He tried not to lose sight of the nearest ones to them when he heard two sets of gunshots go off; one from a rifle in the tower, which he knew was from Sasha as she was on watch, and another from somewhere on the ground.

"Come on", Daryl rasped as he stood with a bloodied knife, having put the woman out of her misery.

"Change of plan, were closer to the house", Rick informed as he point tipped his head in the direction of his home, "My guns there, and Carl's- let's go"

They could hear the odd scream from here and there, but only stumbled across the body of one intruder when they were near the Grimes household. Rick took the machete from beside the dead man's body, and made a note of the letter 'W' carved into his head, before bursting through the back door of his home go retrieve his python, while Daryl went to look for Carls weapon.

The moment they were armed they ran out the front of the home and began shooting whoever they could. Rick ran to one side of the street while Daryl stayed on the other, being sure to avoid residents that also ran out into the street in fear.

"They're trying to ransack the place!", Abraham boomed as he came around the corner hard in a vehicle, with Rosita hanging out the passenger side with a gun in hand.

"We need to make sure they don't leave with anything!", Rick barked as he ran past the car, having seen two masked trespassers bolt out of the Anderson home.

"Got it!", Abraham sat back in his seat and looked out the rear view mirror before reversing, giving Rosita the chance to shoot an unfamiliar young women who appeared from between two houses.

Rick held his gun low as he flicked open the barrel and fished more bullets from his mean pocket, "We need to find the others!"

"I caught two trying to get in the pantry!", A female yelled as the person approached Rick, and if he hadn't recognised her voice or piercing blue eyes, he would have raised his gun in lightning speed.

"We can't let them get out alive, Carol", Rick repeated, slapping the barrel back into the body of the gun, "We need to check every house"

Carol ran one way and Rick the other, his eyes narrowed as he rounded the next corner. He could have almost breathed a sigh of relief when he saw members of his own group in the streets, fighting to protect their community. Rick moved to join them, taking shots whenever he had a clear path.

"Tara! The armoury?!", He called to the dark haired girl as she stood on the steps of a town house.

"It's fine! I've got it!", She insisted, holding her gun out in front of her as she looked everywhere else but at him.

A low growl rumbled from one of the corpses at the bottom of the steps, but was quickly silenced by Rick before he started running again, "They're starting to turn!"

He spotted Michonne in the middle of the street, removing her sword from the skull of a large man sprawled out in front of her. She met eyes with Rick for only a second, "The houses-"

"I know, check the houses!", He ordered, and she nodded, lowering her weapon before she bolted up the nearest set of steps to a home that had the front door open. She carefully stepped over the resident's body that was face down over the threshold and disappeared inside.

Rick was tempted to wait and see her for her return but he wanted to check her home next. He knew that's where all the kids were and he didn't doubt that she would have told them to stay put, but he rather be safe than sorry.

"Help me, please! Please! I'm sorry, please!"

Rick froze when he hear the desperate pleas coming from a man rolling around on the floor, holding his bleeding knee. The pale man also had a 'W' etched into his forehead.

With only one or two bullets left in his gun, Rick stomped over to him and aimed at his forehead. He was in clear view of Michonne's home that she shared with the girls, and with no over threat around the house, he questioned the man, "What's the 'W' stand for?"

"...W-Wolves", The man stammered through a wince, exposing his blackened teeth.

"Wolves?", Rick repeated with a curled upper lip.

The man only glared back, still holding his bleeding knee.

"And how many 'wolves' are there?", Rick tilted his head as he moved to look at the men properly.

The man's snarl was interrupted by a crazed smile, "More than you will ever know-"

Rick didn't feel he needed to hear the end of the man's sentence, and lowered his Colt Python after planting a bullet between his eyes.

"Dad! Behind you!"

He looked up when he heard Elodie's voice yet couldn't see her, but he still spun around and just in time too, as a burly dark skin man charged towards Rick with a hatchet in his hands. Rick raised his gun again and shot him in the centre of his neck, although he was meant to aim for his head.

The man dropped the hatchet and immediately grabbed hold of his throat as he fell to his knees. With no more bullets, Rick slipped his gun into his belt and retrieved the machete he had taken from an earlier body. He drew it back and swung it forward, embedding it in the back of the man's skull.

It was hard to believe that in a matter of minutes, there were a string of casualties and deaths throughout the Safe-Zone. While Rick only took a glance around him, he could immediately tell that that were more residents killed than intruders, and It angered him.

Holding his machete, he marched over to Michonne's home with his shirt covered in fresh blood and his hair damp from sweat. The door flew open as he climbed the porch steps, and Carl was the first to appear, holding A hunting knife at his side.

"You alright?", He asked to his son as he wiped his brow with the back of his hand.

"We're fine", Carl answered faintly as he looked past his father, "What happened?"

"We were attacked, but it's still not safe so I need you to wait here until it is"

Carls gaze slid over to fathers, and the young boy couldn't look any more offended if he tried, "I _can_ help"

Rick knew without a shadow of a doubt that that was true, "I know that, but Judith's in there and so are a few others that would need your help"

The point stopped Carl's argument in its tracks and he begrudgingly nodded in agreement, just as the other kids in the neighbourhood appeared at the door.

In spite of everything that had just happened, and the lives Rick had yet to discover they'd lost, the one thought dominated his mind in that moment, and that was hearing Elodie call him 'Dad'. She was stood behind Colette, who was holding Judith on her hip, both of them peering out at the street.

"The rest of you alright?", Rick asked gently, looking at Mickey, Ron, Sam and Edith too.

"Can I go see my mom? She was home alone", Ron asked hurriedly, slipping his way to the front of the crowd.

Rick was struck with the memory of seeing two wolves leaving the Anderson's home, and he began to back away, fearing the two boys could also be orphaned like the others, "I need you all to wait here, I'll check on your mother and if everythan's okay then I'll send her over to get you, alright?"

Ron didn't look pleased with that arrangement but he had no choice, as Rick had already began making his way down the porch steps.

More residents started appear in the streets, which only made Rick's anger simmer more beneath the surface. Everything he was trying to teach the original inhabitants of Alexandria was falling on deaf ears and he found it impossible to accept that they couldn't protect themselves, but he was beginning to believe that they didn't want to. They were frightened; so frightened that they would rather hide away then help their neighbours, and that wasn't something that Rick could allow to happen again.

"We've checked the house on this side", Glenn informed as he made his way across the lawn, his pants covered in dark blood, "We can't find anyone else. Maggie's with Deanna and Douglas at their house"

"Alright, I'll be out to help, I just need to check the Anderson's", Rick informed him as his boots pounded the pavement, "We need to find out how many there were"

"Got it"

"We need more than three guard towers", Michonne declared as she appeared seemingly out of nowhere, "There are blind spots on the east and south walls, that's how they could have gotten in"

Rick looked at her briefly for a moment, "It's just one of many thangs that need to change around here"

Morgan, Daryl and Carol were also occupying the same street, checking bodies and impaling anyone before they could reanimate. Michonne looked at the others, then asked Rick, "Where are you going?"

"The Andersons", Rick slowed as they reached the open garage, where all of Jessie's metalwork had been discarded on the floor, and the door to her home sat ajar. He got a better hold on the machete as he crept forward, listening closely as he neared the home. He looked at Michonne when he heard the faint growls of groans, and she raised her sword in front of her.

They followed the sounds to the main area of the home, where they found a tall male walker scratching at a pantry door near the kitchen. It took Rick only a second to realise it was Pete and not one of the intruders. He raised his free hand to signal for Michonne to wait, then placed himself directly behind Pete. Moving as quickly as he could he grabbed the man by the back of his neck and brought the machete down on his head, causing blood to spray on both him and the door.

Pete crumbled to the floor by Rick's feet, exposing the neck and stomach wound that most likely killed him. Rick stepped over him and yanked open the pantry door, causing Jessie to jump back in fear. Rick back away and used his forearm to wipe his face, "Come on out, it's safe"

Michonne sighed as she lowered her sword, while Jessie inched out of the pantry with pure horror written on her face, her skin as pale as a sheet.

Rick scratched at his brow with his thumb as he looked at the petrified blonde, "You alright? Were you bit, scratched?"

Jessie began to cry hysterically as she fell against his chest, her shoulders trembling, as she stuttered, "I c-can't believe it"

Rick brows shot up and stayed that way as he looked down at her, his hand falling to her back. He instinctively looked to Michonne but the mother of his daughters had simply turned and left the room. He snapped his eyes shut and held back a sigh, "Hey, it's… it's alright. The boys… they wanna' see you. Make sure you're alright"

Jessie continued to cry, though she stopped trembling as much.

"Come out in the garage and give yourself a moment", He instructed with a little firmness, "I'll get someone bring the boys over and-"

"They can't see this", Jessie shook her head as she emerged from his chest, "I don't want them too"

"We'll move his body, then you just take them straight upstairs", He explained, though her eyes were still wide with fright so he further explained, "You have to. You have to talk them because they need you right now"

She bit her bottom lip as she dropped her gaze, her eyes glistening with tears once again, "Y-you're right… You are".

The plan for a town meeting was thrown aside and residents quickly began to help search homes, removing bodies and digging graves for those that they knew. Rick oversaw the removal of the intruders bodies, making sure they were piled on the bed of a pickup truck and driven as far away as possible. He didn't care if they were dumped in a ditch or set alight in a barn; he just wanted them gone. The attack had reignited the fight his rage against the world beyond the walls. He wanted Alexandria to truly be a safe-zone and in order to do that he needed to use the wolves as an example of what could very easily happen again if residents didn't commit. He knew that there was a chance that he would butt heads with the Michonne and several others over his new way of thinking, but as far as he was concerned it was a necessity.

"Need help?"

Rick was surprised to see Colette approaching him while made the wooden signs for the fresh graves. He shook his head as he sat back on heels, looking up at her from his position on the lawn, "Thank you but I've got it... Shouldn't you be at the house?"

"I went to give my mom some chocolate", She informed as she took a seat in front of him and crossed her legs, "She's on watch"

"Yeah. I know, she should be finishing up soon", Rick stopped what he was doing to give his full attention, "You gave her chocolate?"

"It's her favourite", Colette nodded, "Can Judith eat chocolate?"

"Well I haven't given her any before-"

"I gave her some the other night", The teen quickly divulged, "And she ate it"

He smiled as he exhaled, "Well then yeah, Judith can eat chocolate"

Colette's gaze travelled to the freshly dug graves, "She really liked it…"

He examined her stoic expression, "So are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah…", Her eyes roamed the purple sky as she shrugged, "I guess. Stuff like this happens now so… you get used to it"

He nodded in agreement, noticing that her brown eye appeared black in the evening light. He shifter his position, sitting directly on the grass with one leg bent on front of him, "You do get used to it. It shouldn't be like that but it is, and you do"

"...At least this place is still standing, though"

"It is", He smirked at her joke, "I'll do what I can to make sure that it does"

"But what if it doesn't?"

The smile vanished from his face, "Is that somethan' you're worried about?"

"Not really", She answered unsurely, "Well, maybe? It's always at the back of my mind but… that's just how it is now. Everybody probably thinks about it too"

"You're probably right about that, but like I said I'll do what I can to make sure it that this place continues to stand", He repeated, "I have to. This is your home now too, and I won't let anyone take this away from you"

"Okay…", She looked down and frowned at the blades of grass between her fingers. He was going to say something else to her but he could see she wished to speak further, "...My sister called you 'Dad'..."

Rick could have cursed himself for reacting so nervously, "Yeah… I heard that- She did"

Colette continued to frown as she looked up at him with pensive eyes, "Can you, like… _not_ make a big deal about it? She's feeling pretty weird…"

He narrowed his eyes at her, "She said she feels weird for saying it?"

She shook her head, "No, she didn't say anything. I just know… She overthinks things sometimes"

Rick exhaled as he tried his best to read between the lines of his daughters comments, "Well I'd like to reassure the both of you that I'm fine with whatever either of you feel comfortable calling me. Whether it's 'Dad' or 'Rick'... I don't mind at all"

Her brow smoothed, and she began to nod her head but stopped, "...I don't think I'm ready to call you 'Dad' yet…"

He gave her a small smile at hearing the word 'yet' used, "And that's fine"

"Okay", She nodded with a little more confidence.

Rick was beginning to recognise the advantages of speaking with the twins individually from time to time, "But other than that, you're alright?"

"Yeah", Colette placed her hand on the lawn and leaned back, "We're okay."

"Well I'm glad to hear that-"

"I did have a question, though", She blurted out, "Did you not like Dominic because you like my mom again?"

The question caught Rick off guard, so much so that he could have sworn he felt the ground beneath his hand treble. He blinked at her as he repeated, "Did I not like Dominic because I like your mom again?"

"Yeah?"

Rick continued to blink at her, "What made you think that I didn't like Dominic?"

She gave him her signature innocent shrug, "You guys didn't really talk"

"Well that doesn't mean that-"

"And I saw you giving him the stink eye a few times"

"The _stink_ eye?", Rick gawked at her with bewilderment, "What does that mean?"

"It's when you don't like someone so you give them a dirty look", She explained with an amused giggle, "Like this"

He watched his daughter curl her top lip and peer at him scornfully, leading him to ask her, " _I_ did that?"

"You did. You did that _a lot_ "

Rick was sure he hid his distaste for Dominic around the girls, but obviously not well enough. He took in a deep breath as he prepared to explain himself, "I wanted to make sure that you girls had someone to protect you that was just as capable and just as dedicated as your mother. I'm afraid that I didn't see that in Dominic, and I didn't like that"

"Yeah, he wasn't good with that stuff… but you could have taught him?"

"That was easier said than done", Rick informed a little dryly, "And people tried to help him but sadly, not everyone is cut out for a time like this, even if they make it this far"

"Well I guess that's true… But what about my mom? Do you like her again?", She probed casually, her head tilting to the side.

He took another deep breath, "I care about your mom because I know that she's very important to you girls and that makes her very important to me. I can't afford to have anything happen to any of you"

"...But do you _like_ her?"

His gaze darted behind her as he frowned, "Well of course I like your mother, she's a very likeable person… Wouldn't you agree?"

Colette narrowed her eyes at him, "...You haven't really answered my question"

"You know what? Why don't I find you somethan' to do to keep you busy…", Rick shifted back onto his knees as he avoided her gaze, "You any good with a hammer?"

Colette gave him an unimpressed look, "I know what you're doing, and I'm not _that_ easy to distract"

"I'm happy to hear that", He smirked, holding out the hammer to her, "Now let's get started".


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten:

"...I like this spot. It's nice"

Michonne looked in Elodie's direction, but not directly at her as she replied, "It is nice"

Colette stood up from her place in front of the tall oak tree and brushed the dirt off her acid wash jeans, "How does it look?"

Michonne eyed her daughter's handiwork; she had carved a 'D' into the wood, as well as a small sunflower beside it. She smiled, "It's perfect"

"Yeah. I like it", Elodie added, moving closer to her mother and daughter, "It's pretty"

Colette snorted at her twin, "It wasn't meant to be pretty-"

"But it is- why can't you just take the compliment?"

" _Why can't you just take the compliment_?", Colette moved her head from one side to the other as she mimicked her sister, " _My name is Elodie and I_ -"

"Mom!"

Michonne slowly inhaled as she looked from one twin to the other, speaking in a dangerously low tone, "Let's go"

Both of her girls kept quiet as she led the way back to the safe zone. She didn't know whether to be glad at the fact that they felt safe enough to bicker, or if she should ask Olivia for a set of ear plugs.

The woods were quiet, and it was still quite early in the morning so the sun peaked at them through the trees. Michonne chose the morning to go out with her daughter's, as she would rather it only got brighter than darker when they were out. They weren't far from the safe-zone, less than a mile, but the community had only just been attacked a few days beforehand so she wanted to air on the side of caution.

"Can I get it?", Colette asked in a whisper as they slowed, noticing a male walker heading in their direction.

Michonne had already pulled her Katana free, and knew she could probably get it out of their path in a manner of seconds, but both of her daughters were capable of handling one or two on their own, so she gave her a nod of confirmation.

"...With your sword?", Collette kept her eyes on the walker as she made the request.

Michonne should have known. She held the blade out to her daughter, "Remember-"

"I've seen you use it enough mom", She insisted, taking the handle carefully as she passed her mother, "I remember."

It pleased Michonne to watch Colette move forward with the blade low, each step quick but purposeful. The man growled and raised his arms when he was close enough, but Colette brought the katana up just in time and managed to impale him through the jaw and up into the head.

"Crap…", Colette cursed as the man fell, taking the blade with him, so she put her boot on his chest and pulled it free.

"Always pull away back before they fall!", Michonne reminded her sternly as they approached her, "If there was another one here and that was your only weapon-"

It was as if Michonne had jinxed the girl, as a second walker appeared, seemingly out of nowhere and lunged for her daughter. From that moment, everything appeared to move in slow motion, and Michonne felt as if she wasn't running fast enough. She was sure that she was, because every single nerve in her body compelled her to get to her child as quickly as possible, but by the time the walker sank its teeth into Colette's forearm, she knew it was too late.

Elodie screamed the same second her twin did, as if she had felt the bite too, and it was then that time seemed to catch up. Michonne grabbed the walker by the head, rage fuelling her attack as she dug her fingers into the decomposing skin on its face until it released her daughter's arm. She shoved it away and grabbed her blade that Colette had dropped. She stabbed the squirming walker so hard that she had to rip her katana from the earth again.

"Mom!", Elodie screamed, already at her sister's side and looking at her with panicked eyes.

Michonne knew what she had to do, and she couldn't give the idea a second thought, "Hold her down!"

Colette was in shock. Her hands trembling, sweat beginning to pebble on her forehead. She hadn't said a word but she didn't need too. Tears streaked her cheeks, and her eyes darted around with alarm before Elodie covered them with one hand and held her bicep with the other. Michonne had to kneel so she could make the perfect cut, saving as much of her daughter's arm as she could but far away from the affected area. Fear drove her to do it quickly, and there was some delay but Colette reacted with a blood curdling scream that would have woken everything within the forest.

With Elodie in front of her, Michonne sprinted with her limp daughter in her arms, her fresh wound wrapped tightly with the remaining material of the blue sweatshirt sleeve and a belt. She could remember seeing it done to a young boy at a camp they had stayed at long before. She hoped it helped. She assumed it did, as the wound wasn't what killed the boy in the end. She could hear Elodie whimpering and panting a head of her. She wanted to say something to calm both girls but she needed to focus on not falling, or drawing attention to themselves.

"The gate! Open the gate!", Elodie yelled when the walls were in sight, "Open it!"

They had to run along the walls before they could get to the front entrance, and it was only when they were close enough that Michonne heard the metal gate scrap across the gravel.

The man with the mullet appeared panicked, "W-what-"

"Where's the infirmary?!", Michonne barked, adjusting her hold on Colette as she stopped for a second, "Which way?!"

"Come on!", The man Michonne knew as Daryl gruffed, climbing out of a car that was stationed nearby.

She followed him as he began to sprint. Her biceps were beginning to burn but she wouldn't dare let that deter her from getting her daughter help.

"What happened?", Daryl quizzed, glancing back at them, "She bit?"

"She was- on her arm", Elodie answered as she ran beside him, "But we cut it off- she's bleeding-"

"Alright, come on", He turned a corner, almost colliding with two residents who jumped back in time.

Michonne hoped all the movement was keeping her daughter awake. She knew she was breathing and she could see her eyes fluttering, so she knew that was a good sign. She cut as far away from the bite as she could, but she questioned if she should have cut further. Her worry began to betray her.

"In here!"

She couldn't hear anything else after she put Colette on a bed. It was as if someone had put their fingers in her ears.

"Don't bleed out… don't bleed out", She repeated to herself, eyes glued to the girl as two women worked on her, removing the makeshift wrap from her wound. The blood was a clean, dark red, and it wasn't gushing everywhere like it previously did. They kept her arm elevated while trying to rouse her daughter awake, tapping on her face gently and repeating her name.

Michonne felt something in her hand, and it took her a moment to realise it was another hand. Elodie's. She watched helplessly, still crying uncontrollably. Michonne pulled her against her and held her tight, trying to comfort one while watching the other.

Just the thought of losing her girls was enough to make her sick to her stomach. She couldn't bear the thought. She wouldn't bear it. They were all she had left, and they were the only reason she had to want to fight for survival. Knowing that there was even the slightest possibility that she could have lost one of them shook her to the core.

They had just finished cleaning and covering Colette's wound when the door to the infirmary burst open. Michonne knew it was him, as no one else had a reason to storm in the room. She didn't look away from Colette, but she heard his boots hit the floor as he walked further into the room. He said something, and someone answered. He said something else and he was given another reply. Elodie had calmed down, but still sniffed against her mother's chest. Michonne rubbed her back tenderly, her head resting on top hers. She soon had to look at Rick because he placed himself in front of her.

He looked floored, as if all the wind had been taken from his sails. His eyes glistening and all the life drained from his skin. He reached out a hand and sat it in Elodie's shoulder as his mouth hung agape. Michonne didn't know what she was expecting him to do or say, but she certainly wasn't expecting him to put his arms around both of them, nor was she expecting to cry when he did. He held the back of her head gently when he kissed her forehead, then resumed holding the two of them against him.

Her memories of the events after that were a blur. She couldn't bring herself to leave the infirmary, and Elodie point blank refused to. She wouldn't force her daughter to leave her twin anyway. Rick appeared periodically, bouncing between the infirmary and his own home. Michonne didn't particularly notice when he left or when he came back. She and Elodie hung around all night on either side of Colette. Michonne almost screamed with relief when the girl woke up, though it was only for a few minutes, it was a sign that she was okay, and that was all she could ask for.

"...His name was Hershel. He was kind of like… everyone's grandpa… he got bit and dad had to cut his foot off… but he got the hang of it…"

Michonne watched Carl as he spoke, listening intently to his little tale. It came as no surprise to her that the boy would be one of the first people to turn up at the infirmary the next day, with Judith being the third.

"...I know it's not the same as a hand but… she'll get the hang of it too, right?", The boys blue eyes watched her back with a certain degree of uncertainty, "She _has_ to?"

Michonne gave him a small nod, "She has to, and she will"

He nodded back as he looked back towards the door that stood between them and Colette, "Can we hang out here until she wakes up again?"

"Of course…And it doesn't look like she's ready to leave anytime soon", Michonne tipped her head towards Judith, who was sat on the floor playing with a set of red solo cups.

"Cool", The boy replied with a sigh, "Unless you guys need anything? I can go get it?"

"It's okay, don't worry about it-"

The door clicked open, and Rick strolled out the room, giving them a view of Elodie at her sister's bedside. He signalled for Carl to have his turn, "Go on"

Carl hopped off the counter and burst into a sluggish sprint past his father and into the room, being sure to leave the door ajar behind him.

"...I hope you don't mind…", Rick began softly as he tore his face away from the door, "But I told Elodie that she could stay with us… you know when you have to send her home… instead of her going back there by herself-"

"Its fine", Michonne replied back in an equal tone.

He eyed her for a few moments before he nodded, "Alright."

"Da..dee", Judith sang as she beamed at him with the sweetest smile, rocking side to side.

"Hey, sweetie", He smiled back down at her with pure adoration. Michonne looked away, feeling as if she was intruding on a private 'father/daughter' moment, but she was forced to look back when Rick spoke again, "You alright?"

"Fine", She insisted, followed by a mutter, "Just fine."

"Have you eaten anythan?"

She shook her head, "I'm fine"

"Have you said anythan' else but 'fine'?"

She slowly inhaled as she dropped her gaze to Judith, "I am fine"

He shifted his stance as he tilted his head, "You know I can take over here? If you need a moment? I'm meant to- I'm meant to be here, too. I know you're used to do going it alone when it comes to them but that shouldn't be an option anymore because I'm here now. I'm where I'm meant to be and you should take full advantage of that"

It was a sobering truth. It hadn't occurred to her that he should be there too, or that he would even feel the need to be. Having spent years as a single parent, she had settled into a certain way of thinking, and it dawned on her that Rick wasn't Dominic. He was the twins' father and he did have to be there. He wasn't someone that was choosing to be there because of circumstance, he was someone that was meant to be there because she was her child just as much as she was hers. The realisation had a profound effect on her, and all she could reply was, "You're right"

His gaze remained glued to her, "Go get your stuff, you both can stay with us. We're closer and you can go there when you need anythan'. Go on, if anythan' changes then I'll send Carl"

Michonne was surprised to feel her legs begin to move beneath her, but she did what he said. She could use a shower and she needed to get something for Elodie to eat, and if she was being honest with herself, she was in fact leaving Colette under the watchful eyes of the only other person she trusted in Alexandria.

"Hey"

Michonne slowed down as she crossed paths with Glenn, who she had only ever spoken to once, possibly twice. She gave him a quick nod, "Hey."

"Heard about your daughter…", He gave her a sympathetic look, "How is she?"

"Better.", She answered in an even tone, "Thanks for asking"

He slowly nodded as he dropped his gaze for a second, "...Is Rick over there?"

She held her breath, not sure if he was asking out of curiosity or otherwise, but she still replied, "He is"

Glen slowly nodded again as he dropped his gaze for a second time, "If you need anything then let us know"

"Thanks. I'll remember that."

Michonne hurried back to her home after her short talk with Glenn, rushing around the house to gather things for herself and Elodie, as well as a few things for Colette. She figured that it was a good thing that they had so little, as she didn't know how long she'd have to stay in the infirmary so grabbed almost everything and raced over to the Grimes home.

After finding an empty room on the ground floor of the house she made use of the bathroom, washing the dried blood from her skin and clothes. She only allowed herself to cry while in the shower so it didn't feel as if she were. New fears had manifested in her mind and all she could think about was how her daughter would cope. There was a large possibly that she wouldn't accept the change well because Colette could be unbearably proud at times, feeding off of her accomplishments greedily, especially when her twin couldn't perform the same. The fact that she would have to learn how to look after herself all over again seemed like a task that would require maximum effort, and Michonne was prepared to see that effort made in small drips from daughter.

"...How are you feeling?", Olivia asked softly as she inspected the fresh bandage on her arm.

Colette shrugged as if the answer was obvious, watching the woman with an intense gaze, "Like I don't have a _hand_ anymore?"

Michonne squeezed her daughter's wrist from the other side of the bed and gave her a knowing look when she got the girls attention.

Colette sighed as rolled her eyes up to the ceiling, muttering under her breath, "Give me a break"

Olivia cleared her throat, "Well I think she can go home soon, I don't think we have to keep her here longer than necessary, but maybe bring her back to get her bandages changed for the first couple days so I can see how she's healing- whoa, what are you-"

Michonne gave Colette a confused look as the girl snatched her limb away and began to climb out of bed. Colette pointed to Olivia, "She just said I can go home"

"Soon", Michonne repeated with a little firmness in her tone, "Not yet-"

"Let me just explain a few more things and then she can go", Olivia reasoned, holding her hands up surrender.

Colette slumped back down on the bed and looked at Olivia with bored, uninterested eyes as the woman explained all the aftercare required to help her heal. Michonne's fears were confirmed.

The second they were free to go, Colette pulled on a sweatshirt that her mother had brought for her, but Michonne was surprised to see that the girl only put her unharmed arm though the sleeve, keeping her other limb out of sight. It crushed her to see but she said nothing, allowing her to leave however she felt comfortable.

"Where's Elodie? She's meant to be here", The teen quizzed as they stepped out the infirmary.

"She's probably still at your father's", Michonne responded, looking back and forth up the bright street, "She needed to have a shower… We can go over there? I'm sure they'd all love to see you"

Colette shrugged for a second time, "Whatever"

Michonne stared at her daughter.

"I mean sure, _okay_ ", She corrected, dropping her gaze to the ground.

Michonne put her hand on her back as she led her to the Grimes household. The girl who usually walked with her head held high now kept it low, though her bright blue eyes studied everything and everyone they passed. Her mother tried to lighten her spirits, "You know… Carl was telling me that a friend of your dad's brought him back some whipped cream…"

Colette peaked at her mother from the corner of her eye.

"It got me thinking about that time that Dominic got it up his nose…"

The smallest smile appeared on the teens face, "...When he was trying to make us laugh…"

"And ended up blowing cream out of his nose for a week"

Colette smirked, "He always tried so hard to be funny back then… Remember when he said he was taking us Disney land?"

Michonne groaned at the memory, "Oh God"

"But we were really just going to _work_ with him? That was mean"

Michonne snickered, "You girls were so mad when you got home that day"

"We did nothing but sit there and watch him type for eight hours", Colette relayed in an annoyed tone, "We fell asleep _twice_ "

"I know. You told me all about it… plenty of times-"

"Hey, you're out already?", Carl greeted cheerfully from the front porch of his home, "We were just going to come over there"

Michonne noticed Colette slowly inhale before she replied, "Yeah… I'm out"

"Cool.", He nodded, "Do you want to see those comics I was talking about?"

Michonne scoffed as she playfully nudged her daughter out the way, "I hope you were talking to me because I definitely need to take a look"

"Very funny, mom", Colette snorted, though her small smile had returned.

It seemed that once the teen was back around her siblings she began to brighten up again, and Michonne could breathe a little sigh of relief. Despite all that had happened in the short time that they had been in the Safe Zone, they were still fortunate enough to be given the chance to expand their family. Both of her girls adored Carl and Judith, and she was sure that brother and sister felt the same towards them. They no longer had to go through the usual trials and tribulations of this new world with just themselves, and Michonne couldn't be more grateful.

It was dark outside when she heard the front door open, signalling Rick's return. He had told her the previous night that he and Daryl were going on the run that they had postponed due to Colette's accident, so she was expecting him back at some stage.

"...Judith's asleep, so is Colette… I think Carl and Elodie are up reading…", She informed quietly as stood from the couch.

Rick slowly nodded as he walked further into his home while dropping a backpack on the floor, "Were you sleeping?"

She began to shake her head but stopped, "Well, almost"

He eyed the couch, "Go on, and sit back down"

She did, but sitting up bolt straight, feeling a little embarrassed for making herself so comfortable previously, "What did you get?"

He threw himself down nearby and ran both hands over his face, "A truck full of stuff"

"A truck?", She raised her dark brows at him, "Nice"

"And a guy", He continued flatly, "He tried to steal the truck from us"

She stared at the side of his face, "You brought him back? _Alive_?"

He slid his gaze over to her, "Yeah. We'll question him in the morning"

Michonne nodded as she looked towards the fireplace, "Right."

"...How's she doing?"

"...Good", She answered, knowing he was asking about Colette, "She just needs to take this one step at a time"

He sniffed as he sat forward, resting his forearms on his knees, "Do you know somethan' that I should know about?"

She blew out a breath as she thought of a way to trim down a reply, "...This might be a little difficult for her, that's all. Same as it would be for anyone else…"

"But?"

"...But… She's angry. I know she is. Probably at herself…", Michonne took in a long, uneven breath, "I just have to see how it goes"

" _We_ just have to see how it goes", Rick corrected in a low tone.

She should have known he's correct her. She nodded once again as she looked around aimlessly, "Well she might be a little more comfortable when we're back home. I might need to go out and get her-"

"You don't need to leave", He interrupted coolly, "You can stay"

Michonne turned to look at him, her brows knitting together, "Stay here?"

He sat up a little straighter, "Yeah"

She already felt uneasy for making herself at home in his absence, but the atmosphere grew ever more awkward under his intense gaze. She began to shake her head, "This was only meant to be-"

"I'm not used to having my family split in half", He announced diplomatically, "I don't like that. I haven't liked that. You said so yourself that Colette's going to have a tough time with this and if that's the case then she should be surrounded by people that want to be there for her."

Michonne closed her eyes as she absorbed his argument, "I know that, but-"

"Have you taken a moment to realise just how lucky we are? That in all of this, we somehow managed to find each other? When everyone else is losing people, their families… Yours is growing? And even still, there was a chance that Colette might not have made it out that the way she has. Believe it or not but we have been lucky, and I don't want to keep testing that luck or sit around waiting for that all to change", He scratched his brow with his thumb as he looked elsewhere for a second, "I thought I wanted you to move closer but… this- having you all under the same roof… it feels better. It feels right"

Michonne realised she was holding her breath and discreetly exhaled, "...I don't want to agree to anything without speaking to them first"

"But you do agree?", He quizzed, tilting his head forward as he stared at her.

She involuntarily squirmed, "...I can see how it could be good for them… but I don't think I can say the same for us"

He raised a light brow at her, "You don't think it's a good idea for you and I to live together?"

She shook her head at the notion, "No."

Based off what she had witnessed from Rick, she would have expected her reply to offend him even though it wasn't her intention, but instead he continued to stare at her with his ice blue eyes, refusing to blink as he asked, "...You afraid of what could happen?"

She frowned, feeling the urge to rebuke his claim but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the corner of his mouth curl up to present a crooked smile.

"You know, when you told me that you wanted to brush that kiss under the carpet, I thought understood why. I thought that made sense and it was the right thang to do but… I don't think I believe that anymore", His eyes fell to her shoulder for a brief moment, "I get it. I do… And if we ever cross that line then it'll be because you took us there. I don't want to make you feel forced into doing anythan' you're not ready for. My timing was off last time and I… I don't wanna' mess that up again"

Michonne was sure her heart had migrated to her throat. Maybe that was why she found it difficult to swallow.

He glanced the other way, looking further into his home before he slowly rose to his feet. She hoped that he would leave right away so she could have a moment to collect her thoughts but he couldn't leave without a few parting words, "Take as long as you want, I'll be waiting".


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven:

"...Your world is about to get a whole lot bigger."

Rick continued to stare at the man who called himself Jesus long after he finished speaking. He couldn't lie, he was curious to know more about the other community that the new man had spoken of and how they could possibly help each other, but he was still distracted by the fact that the stranger had somehow managed to escape a room which was guarded by two men, and then proceed to break into his home.

"Well…", Maggie began, glancing in Rock's direction, "I think that we could-"

"Ah! Oh my God! I'm in here- what are you doing?!", Colette's voice echoed through the home as she yelled from the top floor, "You have to knock!"

"I'm sorry!", Carl could be heard repeating, "I didn't- the door was unlocked!" .

The brief exchange was ended with the sound of a door slamming. Rick didn't bother to look anywhere else but at Jesus, meanwhile Maggie, Glenn, Abraham, Daryl and Jesus looked towards the staircase in surprise. He didn't see the point of even going up to the second floor to investigate. He already knew what had happened because he had also been yelled at the night before, only by Elodie. He did make a mental note to remind the young boy that they were no longer the only two people able to use the bathroom in their home, so it was important for his eardrums that he knocked before entering a room.

He stole a glance in Michonne's direction, and almost smirked when he saw her with her head bowed, using two fingers to rub small circles on her temples.

"As I was saying…", Maggie continued dubiously as she looked in Rick's direction again, "I think that-"

Heavy footsteps pounded down the stairs, interrupting the brunette once again. Carl eventually stepped into view, his cheeks noticeably red. He quickly surveyed the room before stomping toward the kitchen.

"Well check it out", Rick spat out before someone else made a ruckus in his home, "Today."

Jesus gave him an amused smile, "I'm pleased to hear that. We can make it there before mid-day if we leave now-"

Rick tapped the table as he stood up, "We'll be ready in ten minutes"

Everyone else followed suit, beginning to evacuate his home while he found Carl in the kitchen, making himself breakfast. He looked in his father's direction when he heard him enter the room and immediately began to explain, "I didn't know she was-"

"I know you didn't. I didn't either, last night", Rick rolled his eyes as he stopped by the counter, "Which is why we definitely have to knock from now on. Always knock. _Every single door_. It's not just us anymore so we have to be a little considerate to each other"

Carl huffed as he looked at the bowl he held, "Got it."

"And…", Rick lowered his voice, "I think Colette especially needs her privacy as she gets used to thangs…"

He could tell by the way his son frowned for a spell that he didn't understand him, but realisation quickly set in and he replied, "Oh… Yeah…"

"Yeah, so I think it would help if we were a little more… _Considerate_ of that", He chose his words carefully, because he didn't want his son to treat his sister any differently, he just wanted him to be more aware of the difficulties she may face, "But I have to say that I am really proud of you. I saw how helpful you were when she was over at the infirmary and I think she really appreciates that. We all do."

Carl shrugged as he pulled open the drawer nearest to him, "Thanks."

It always made Rick smile to see his son grow bashful when he was complimented, it was a great reminder that he was still just a boy underneath all the responsibility that he carried. Rick caught him by the shoulder as he spoke, "You can take Judith to Carol, she'll probably stay behind"

Carl frowned at his father as he looked up from beneath his brows, "She can stay here. It won't be just the two of us… Colette and Elodie are here, too"

Rick's gaze sailed away from his son as he thought about it, "Well yeah, that's true.. Alright. Fine"

Both males looked towards the doorway when they heard a third person enter the kitchen, and both quickly wore the same confused look as they watched Colette walk over to the sink with a glass in her hand. She had on an extra-large sweatshirt that completely swallowed her, and it didn't help that she had the hood on and she had pulled the jaw string, so all they could see was her nose and mouth. The sleeve that was meant to house her injured arm was empty and swung around as she put her glass in the sink. He was about to say something but she hurried back out the room again.

Rick bit his lip as he continued to look at the doorway after she had left, wondering if he should be the one to speak with her. He wanted to, but he wasn't sure if she would be open to the idea. He had yet to see how Michonne was handling her, since he figured that it wouldn't be as difficult for her mother to connect with the teen, so he could use some guidance, but he didn't think he'd received that anytime soon though as he was sure Michonne was trying to avoid him again, which wasn't an easy thing to do when staying in the same house, but she did it.

He left his son to prepare his breakfast so he could get ready to leave, then took himself to the front porch where he discovered that someone had already brought the RV around. He scoped the neighbourhood while he waited for everyone else to ready themselves, hoping nothing would happen in the time of his absence.

"Da-dee…", A little voice chimed from behind him, leading Rick to spin around with a smile, knowing it was Judith calling him.

Elodie held her on her hip as she stepped out the house while Judith grinned from ear to ear, holding a piece of chocolate in her hands. Elodie spoke up, "Colette keeps giving her chocolate… I think she took it from my mom"

"I'm not surprised", Rick smirked, running a hand over Judith's curls.

Elodie kept her gaze low, her usually neat curls were wild and spilling out in every direction. It appeared as if she was uncomfortable, shifting her weight from one leg to the other and fiddling with Judith's dress.

Rick cleared his throat, then lowered his voice. "You know, I feel like I should let you know that you didn't do anythan' wrong the other day…"

Two bright blue eyes identical to Carl's found his face, and much like Carl, she frowned at him.

"...When you called me-"

"Oh", Her eyebrows sprung back up and she dropped her gaze back to Judith as she muttered, "Yeah, sorry about that…"

"Hey, you don't have to apologise for that", He stressed lightly, "Like I said, you didn't do anythan' wrong. And I'll tell you the same thang that I told Colette, I'm fine with whatever you feel comfortable calling me"

She looked back at him with a high level of uncertainty, "...Okay. I mean… I think, I don't feel comfortable calling you 'Rick'... I wouldn't call my mom by her first name… I think she'd kill me"

Rick held back a snort of laughter, "Is that so?"

"Yeah, so… I think I'll give 'dad' a try", She still looked a little uncomfortable but she stopped fidgeting and moving around, "If that's okay?"

"That's fine by me", Rick tried to come of cool and collected, but his smile couldn't widen any further, "Go on, get yourselves somethan' to eat. We'll be back before dark"

"Alright", She bounced Judith on her hip as she backed away, "Say bu-bye"

"Bu-bye", Judith repeated from behind her pacifier, waving a pudgy little hand at her father, "Da-dee"

"Bye, sweetie", He waved back, his heart swelling in his chest.

"See you later, dad", Elodie called, giving him a small smile before she turned around.

Rick was sure his heart had swollen so much that it was hitting his ribcage. Not only was he sure that he had talked Michonne into moving in with him, but he now had three of his four children calling him 'dad'. It was a title he wore with such pride and he was glad that Elodie felt ready to use it.

Having got swept away in the moment, Rick hadn't noticed that he had an audience until her turned around and came face to face with Maggie, Glenn, Abraham and Daryl. Jesus was stood not far away but still followed suit, staring at him like everybody else was. Rick huffed as he began to climb down the stairs, "Uh, wasn't sure when to tell you guys this but-"

"I already knew", Maggie ejected gleefully as she grinned, "I told Glenn."

Glenn nodded as he wore a matching smile to his wife. Rick huffed again as he turned his attention to Abraham and Daryl, "...That's one of my daughters. The twins… you've probably seen them around here"

Daryl only stared at Rick from beneath his shaggy bangs, looking mildly baffled, while Abraham looked past Rick to his home, the back at him as he breathed, "Son of a dick"

"Ready?", Michonne quizzed as she appeared from the other side of the RV, surprising everyone but mostly Rick, as he was sure she was still inside the house.

"Yeah. Let's go", Maggie agreed, tapping her husband on the shoulder as she spurred him to move.

Rick almost had to do the same to Abraham as it seemed like the man wouldn't move, but he eventually turned back to face Rick, "So wait just a minute, you and sword lady?"

Rick blinked at him.

"When?", Abraham probed, his red brows furrowing furiously.

"Years ago. We were teenagers", He explained vaguely.

Abraham glanced back at the Grimes home, "And now the two of you are shacking up together?"

Rick remembered why it had taken so long for him to tell the other side of his family. He sighed as he began walking again, "Let's go, Abraham"

One thing that Rick wasn't good at doing was explaining his personal life. He could battle anything else with confidence, but not that. He wouldn't necessarily call himself shy, just very private. He hoped that the people around him would have caught on soon enough that there were a few changes in his home, without him having to explain everything.

They all boarded the RV and began their journey shortly after, with Abraham behind the steering wheel. Rick purposely sat himself in front of Jesus so he could keep an eye on him, and it was only a coincidence that happened to be opposite Michonne, who was sat on the opposite side of the table. Despite throwing all his cards on the table the previous night, he was waiting on tenterhooks for her response to his proposal.

He was certain that old feelings may have resurfaced for her like they had for him. He could bet his life on it. Though they were only teenagers when they kicked off their romance, he could still remember vividly how much he cared for her. He remembered thinking that she was the prettiest and sweetest girl he had ever laid eyes on and nobody could tell him any different. He could barely even look at her for too long without feeling a wild fluttering feeling in his stomach. Even though she was now a fierce mother of two and had no reason to regress back to the sixteen year old he once knew, he had witnessed a vulnerability that registered deep within him, vulnerability that he could easily recall seeing all those years ago.

When he had to break the news about Dominic, he saw it. She dropped her guard, and that hard stare that he had become accustomed to receiving from her simply vanished. She was devastated and he felt such a need to make it all better. The same need hit him when he first saw her after Colette's accident, but the need remained the second time around. He needed to be there for her because he couldn't bear the thought of her suffering alone. He wanted to be that person she turned to when times got tough and she needed to seek solace somewhere. He was her home once upon a time, and he wanted to reclaim that role.

"Rick! You might wanna' come and take a look at this!", Abraham called from the driver's seat, causing Rick to stand up from his seat and move towards the front of the vehicle to look out the windshield.

There were two cars lying on their sides on one side of the street with a few walkers tangled in the wheels, and body parts scattered around. Rick wouldn't have thought anything of it as it was a usual sight to see in the outbreak, but when he noticed smoke coming from one of the vehicles, he knew the accident must have occurred recently.

"I know that car", Jesus declared with a light sprinkling of panic in his tone, appearing beside Rick, "It might be some of our people"

Rick turned his head a small fraction, looking at the fellow bearded man from the corner of his eye, "Is that so?"

"I need to see", Jesus turned to leave the RV but Daryl swiftly stopped in front of the door. Jesus frowned at him, "They could be hurt?"

"This could be a trap", Rick countered as he turned around to face him, "How are we supposed to know?"

Jesus huffed and puffed, "Look, we don't have many fighters- we don't even have ammo for guns, so please? Can I go?"

"We'll go", Michonne announced as she stood up, "You can wait here."

Jesus peered back at her anxiously, then back at Rick. He had already pulled his colt python from his holster, "Sound's good. Let's go."

It may have seen excessive to some, but Rick didn't trust the newcomer at all and the last thing he wanted was to lead his people blindly, so he left the RV with Michonne, Daryl and Abraham while Maggie and Glenn stayed behind to keep an eye on Jesus.

"What do you think about this guy?", He asked Michonne as they examined the wreckage.

She shrugged as she looked towards a building nearby, "Not sure yet"

His eyes were drawn to speckles of dark blood on the gravel, noticing they led in the same direction that she looked, "They might be in there"

She nodded, "Looks that way"

He stared at the side of her face for a short time, wondering if she was purposely replying to him with a three word maximum, "Alright, let's go"

Daryl had already began to walk ahead, eyeing the ground carefully as he approached the building and Michonne soon followed him, leaving Rick and Abraham to catch up, which wouldn't have been so bad if the red haired man hadn't begun questioning him again, "So help me understand this- she just turned up with the two girls and told you that they were yours, and now you're all just playing happy families?"

Rick felt a deep sigh ready to erupt, "I think it was kind of obvious they were mine."

Abraham scoffed as he adjusted his rifle, "Yeah, to you. I thought they belonged to that guy I saw them with"

Rick involuntarily scowled at the idea that anyone thought Dominic was the twin's father, "No. They're mine."

Abraham watched him for a moment, the smirked, "Well ain't that something"

Rick was glad that the man had stopped talking when they reached the others. His hoped that his nearest and dearest would be able to fill in the blanks on their own when it came to his expanding brood, but evidently he was wrong.

Michonne only peered inside the dark entrance way once before creeping inside, leading them into what appeared to be some kind of abandoned office. Filing cabinets and desk chairs cluttered the hallway that had sporadic dark turns here and there. Daryl kept moving when she stopped, her attentions diverted elsewhere. Rick saw why soon enough; a small handful of walkers were mulling around at the end of a hall, near a closed door. He went ahead of her, sneaking up behind the nearest one with his hatchet in hand, and when he was close enough he swung it into the corpse's skull. He saw movement beside as Michonne tackled another, leaving him to go for the third before the walker could make any noise. They swiftly eliminated the threat and continued to creep towards the closed door, where they heard a thud from inside the room. They stilled, listening for any further movement before Rick turned the handle.

A dark skinned woman hurried behind a desk, while another white male was visibly from behind a cabinet. Rick dropped his hatchet to his side while Michonne stepped forward, "Do you know Jesus?"

The women poked her head up further from behind the desk as she nodded, "We do, is he here?"

"Yeah", Michonne glanced back in Rick's direction, "He was right"

Three words again. He released another deep sigh for a countless time that morning as he looked towards the man who was stepping out from behind the cabinet, "Come on".

Daryl and Abraham were able to locate two others, and soon enough the four strangers were reunited with Jesus. Rick still wasn't completely convinced but he kept his reservations to himself, but he learnt that he wasn't the only one.

"I don't trust 'em", Daryl rasped quietly as he passed him in the RV when they resumed their trip.

Rick watched his friend walk over to a seat at the front of the vehicle, then looked towards the back of the camper, where Jesus was tending to his friends. He rolled his shoulders back as he considered the worst outcome of their journey, and while he wouldn't know what they were up against until they got there, he did know that he had a strong group with him. They were all capable of looking after themselves and each other, and that would always be their advantage.

He couldn't recall what drew his attention to Michonne a short while later, but he noticed her retrieving something from her pocket as she sat at the table, and when he saw the silver foil he knew it was chocolate. She opened it up and frowned, causing Rick to snicker as he remembered what Elodie had said earlier, and it was his amusement that caught her attention.

"Colette", He explained, "She's been giving some to Judith"

Michonne smirked as she looked back at her treat, "Of course"

Rick stood up from his seat and peered through the windshield as he spoke again, "When did that start?"

She looked up at him as she popped a piece in her mouth, then followed his lead by looking out the front of the vehicle, "When I was pregnant."

"...I thought as much", He admitted, "I don't think I remember you being a fan of chocolate before"

"You think you'd remember that?", It was more of a statement than a question, but it was more than three words so Rick was happy to acknowledge it.

He rubbed the back of his neck tiredly as he simply replied, "Gummy bears."

He didn't need to look at her to know that she had stilled. He was sure she was hit with the memory of her greatest love before the twins came along. She kept her head down as she shoved her chocolate back in her pocket, "...Yeah. Gummy bears."

Rick felt hugely pleased with himself but couldn't basque in his glory for too long as they were approaching something in the distance. He could see tall wooden walls, and what looked like a clock tower behind them. The hairs on the back of his neck stood to attention, and he tucked away the slightly softer side of himself.

"Here it is, the Hilltop", Jesus announced from behind him as he stood by the door to the back of the camper.

Rick clenched his jaw as his mind began to race. He looked along the wall, trying to count how many guards he could see, and any other sign of someone outside the walls. The RV came to a stop and he made sure that Jesus and his friends left first, then the others.

Only two guards stood at the wall and they immediately drew their rifles when the merged groups were close enough, but Jesus quickly raised his hands, "Wait, they're safe"

"Yeah? And how the fuck are we supposed to know that?", A Hispanic man shot back.

"I mean it. They need to speak to Greggory", Jesus stressed, "They saved us today"

The two guards looked at each other with a great deal of uncertainty, before the mouthy one spoke again, "They drop their weapons there"

"Or we can speed this up", Rick suggested, raising his python until it was aimed at the man's head.

Jesus raised his hands even higher, "Wait! Wait! Stop, its fine! They can keep their weapons- If they wanted to do something then they would have done it already!"

Rick gave a one sided shrug in agreement, "That's true"

"Come on, let us in", Jesus pleaded, finally dropping his hands to his side. There seem to be an unspoken battle going on between the three men, and just when Rick thought he might have to pull the trigger, they disappeared behind the wall. A moment passed, and suddenly two giant doors hidden within the walls design opened, revealing to the Alexandrians a thriving community.

There was a large building that looked to be some kind of town hall with several stables set up on one side and trailers on the other. Rick was genuinely surprised to see so many people, and judging by the looks on their faces, they were surprised to see them too.

"What's going on here?", An older man called, strolling forward from the steps of the largest building. He was greying, and carrying most of his weight around his stomach, but still pulled the suit jacket that he wore closed as he headed towards the group, "Jesus?"

"Gregory, we need to talk", Jesus began, his hand motioning behind him, "They're here to meet you"

The man named Gregory pulled his face into a curious expression, "Is that so? Well isn't that something… Let's head inside then-"

"Gregory!", Someone yelled from behind the group, causing them all to turn around. A tall blonde haired man came marching through the gates, followed by another man and a woman, "I have something for you, from Negan"

Rick watched the man walk past him, making no attempt to move so they would all have to step around him. He didn't know what he was expecting to happen next, but he certainly wasn't expecting the blonde with a ponytail to walk straight up to Gregory and stab him in the gut. Jesus jumped into action first, pushing the aggressor away from Gregory as he fell to the ground clutching his stomach.

Rick didn't particularly want to get involved because he had a whole host of questions forming in his mind, but when he saw Michonne draw her sword, he felt obliged to step in, "Hey!"

"Get away from me!", The crazed man yelled, waving the bloodied blade in the air, "I have to do this!"

The other man that strolled in with the blonde began to square up to Abraham, allowing Rick to focus primarily on the one with the blade, so he tackled him to the ground and they swiftly began to wrestle. The man's height and weight gave him the advantage, and despite Rick's best efforts he was soon the one on the ground being choked. He reached for the blade nearby that the man had dropped in their scuffle, ready to swing it up and impale the man's neck when blood poured onto his face and neck. It baffled him and it was only when he felt the man's grip on his neck loosen that he saw another blade pull away from his neck.

Michonne flicked her katana as she stood back, watching Rick push the dying man off of him. He spat blood to the ground as he did so, growing sick of having everybody else's bodily fluids in his mouth. The people at the hilltop were all stood around in shock, eyes wide with either shock or fright. Rick sighed as he looked around, wiping the blood from his mouth with the sleeve of his jacket.

"You bitch! You killed him!", A dark haired woman cried, stomping her way over to Michonne as her eyes filled with tears.

"Hey! Hey!", Rick called as he pulled his python free and pointed it at her, "You might want to stop there"

His move offered a chain reaction, as three other men raised their guns and soon anyone who had a weapon had held it up. Just as Rick predicted, Jesus ran into the midst of the cross fire with his hands raised once again, "Wait! Wait! Stop! They're here to help!"

"They killed him!", The woman spat once again as she fell down beside the dead man's body.

"He stabbed Gregory!", Jesus pointed out firmly, "He was acting insane!"

"This whole place is insane", Rick muttered as he dropped his weapon, "Alright, I think we've seen enough here, time for us to leave-"

"No! Just hold on!", Jesus argued, his eyes glued to Rick, "We need to talk… we need your help…"

"You already got it", Rick tipped his head towards the freshly dead body a few feet away from him, "And we gave you a ride home."

Jesus shook his head adamantly, "No, that's not even the half of it- please, just stick around for a while and we'll talk… Please?"

Rick stared at the man. They hadn't even been there for more than a few minutes, and so far they'd witnessed one man stabbed and had to kill another. Rick already decided that one man annoyed him enough to make him want to kill him. The combination of small events appeared to be one big problem to him, but it seemed that he wouldn't have a chance to voice his refusal as Michonne replied first, "Fine."

Rick looked at her with his eyebrow raised, ready to pull her aside to question her when he heard Maggie add, "We'll talk"

He usually trusted his own judgement above all else but he also trusted Maggie's ability to see things that he didn't, and he was learning that Michonne possessed the same quality. In other words, the only two people he would allow to rule over him had spoken so he felt obliged to agree. With his mouth snapped shut, he reluctantly agreed with a quick nod of his head, hoping they were both right in their choice to stay and listen. He would soon realise that they were right.

Gregory was taken away to some sort of infirmary, allowing Jesus to lead them inside the grand, stately building. He led them to an officer with dated furniture and waited for them all to be seated before he spoke of the Hilltop's recent troubles.

They were effectively being held hostage by another community, one that was bigger, stronger, and more ruthless than they could imagine, ran by a sadistic man named Negan. Jesus informed them of the agreement that they had found themselves in, promising to give away half of everything they had in return for their lives, and it made Rick's blood boil. While he could be ruthless himself, most of the time he felt it was within good reason. He didn't agree with stealing from others and threatening their lives for the sake of it, but he recognised that that was the way of survival in the outbreak. It was everyman for himself, and the more men you had to follow that rule, the easier it was to survive. He could admit that he danced on that dangerous line before but he liked to think that he always stayed on the right side, whatever that was.

It seemed that the others felt the same as him because they agreed to help the Hilltop by killing Negan and his group, under the contention that the Hilltop made a generous donation of their own food and supplies. Rick didn't need to say much, as it was either Maggie or Michonne doing the talking, but what he didn't voice was written all over his face. He meant business, and if they were to go through with their plan of action to eliminate the threat then he needed to produce a flawless plan which would need to be executed effortlessly.

"If we're doing this", He declared diplomatically as he watched several people load up crates of food, medicine and ammo into the RV, "Then it needs to be done properly"

Michonne had her arms crossed over her chest as she too watched the others move, "Of course. It couldn't be done any other way"

He eyed the side of her face, "You were pretty good back there. Negotiating."

"...I have twins.", She shrugged, beginning to squint due the sun. Rick began to smile at her joke, when she quickly corrected herself, "...We have twins"

Rick couldn't believe that he could feel himself reverting back to a dorky sixteen year old, but he did, and a large goofy smile spread across his face before he could stop it. He bowed his head until he could control himself, then he replied coolly, "Yeah. We do."

She peaked at him from the corner of her eye for a second, "I'm going to help-"

"Have you decided... ", His throat grew dry as he spoke, "Where your home is now?"

He noticed that she dropped her gaze, and it took some time for her to answer, "My home is wherever the girls are"

"And their home is wherever you are", He responded easily, "So _where_ is that?"

She blew out a deep breath as she looked up again, "...We'll be going to the same place when we get back, Rick. That's where I left them, so that's where I'm going back to."

Rick didn't want to blow a sigh of relief just yet because he didn't really know if she had agreed to live with him or not. She could be so painfully mysterious at times that even when he was certain that he understood her, he didn't rule out the chance that he was completely wrong.

"You said you'd wait", She continued, her gaze still away from him, "Right?"

He froze, not daring to move even an inch. He definitely didn't think that she'd bring up that portion of his admission, "...I did"

Michonne nodded her head slowly, as if she were considering what that meant, "Right."

Rick was overwhelmed with the urge to say more, to reassure her that he meant what he said but he didn't want to scare her off again, so he settled with, "I will"

She finally looked back at him, her dark brown eyes lit up by the sun's rays, "Then wait."

It was the recognition that he'd been waiting for since the moment he confessed to her. Every ounce of his being fluttered with delight. He didn't need her to confess anything to him, nor did he need her to outline what it was he should be waiting for. He knew, and she knew. Her acknowledgement of his words told him that they were indeed on the same page, and that when she was ready to explore something with him then she'd come to him. It was all he needed, so he watched back as she walked over to the RV feeling ready to conquer anything in his path.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve:

"...I studied fencing. Wasn't sure why I picked it at first but… I _really_ enjoyed it. Since then I've just been fascinated with weapons and how to use them correctly"

Michonne watched the way Carl looked at her Katana, his warm blue eyes skimming back and forth over the blade. He began to frown when he looked at her, "So what did you do before all this?"

"Lawyer.", She revealed, taking her weapon by the handle, "So I didn't get to use this much"

"You were a lawyer?", The young boy began to smile as he pushed off the counter, "I thought you were a teacher or something…"

It was her turn to frown at him, "And what made you think that?"

"...The way you talk. I had a teacher that used talked like that¬ I named Judith after her", He explained proudly.

Michonne was amazed at his sentiment, "You must have really liked her?"

"I did. She was really nice.", Carl stopped talking and looked towards the doorway of the kitchen when he heard approaching footsteps. The trio of girls entered the room, Colette first, still wearing her oversized sweatshirt that hid her petite frame. Michonne had noticed when her daughter wasn't in the best of mood, she'd keep the hood on and pull the drawstring, but luckily her hood was off and they were all able to see her disinterest clearly.

Elodie followed close behind while carrying Judith on her hip. It was a sight she was getting used to seeing due the fact the Elodie didn't seem to want to put her down. Colette had treated the toddler the same before her accident, and Michonne wondered if Elodie had started carrying the little girl to make up for her sister's inability to.

"I found a hairbrush", Colette declared in a monotone as she leaned against a counter.

Michonne knew what that meant; It was her way of telling her mother that she needed help with her hair, without directly asking. She glanced in the girls direction as she slid her katana back into its sheath on the opposite counter, "If I have time before we leave then I'll do it"

"I can do it for you", Elodie offered, having picked up on the secret topic, "I know how you like it"

"No.", Colette replied a little coldly as she looked away from them all.

Elodie stared at her twin for a few moments before turning her attentions back to Judith and Carl, but Michonne continued to look at them both. There was an uncomfortable tension growing between her twins. She knew there would be difficulty with Colette's injury, and she had to have a few words with her here and there to remind her to cut back on the attitude, but there was something different happening with Elodie. While she wasn't being outwardly rude, she was being distance, refusing any kind of help her sister offered. Elodie didn't argue, but Michonne could see she was battling with what to do, too.

"I think I got her to say my name earlier", Elodie declared happily as she watched Carl set his sister on the counter in front of them, "...Well, it sounded like my name. I think."

"Judy, say 'El-od-dee'...", Carl prompted, his eyes wide with amusement, "Can you say it?"

Judith's head tilted to the side as she began to smile, " _El_ - _lo_ - _wee_ "

Elodie gasped with delight, "See!"

Carl chuckled at her, "That was good, Judy. How about… Colette? 'Co-let'.. Go on, try"

Judith looked around for the other twin, then pointed at her, " _Co_ - _et_?"

Michonne couldn't even hold back her own smile. The girl was unbelievably adorable. While Colette didn't react as happily as her sister, she did acknowledge the toddler, "That's right, Judith"

"Let's give her a hard one", Elodie suggested, "How about Michonne? 'Mi-shone'"

"Go on, try", Carl spurred, "Say 'Mi-shone'..."

Judith's little light brows began to furrow together as she looked at Michonne, obviously trying to figure out if the word was doable, "... _Me_ - _sown_?"

Michonne gave her a little cheer, "That was perfect! I think someone deserves a little treat for working so hard"

"I think we should give her an apple", Elodie pointed out as she reached for the bowl of fruits, "We've given her enough chocolate"

"We? I've only given her a square or two", Michonne quickly denied, beginning to make her way around the island, "If anything it's Colette that gives her too much"

Colette shrugged innocently as she stood away from the counter to open one of the cabinets, "Well she likes it, so why not?"

"Because there aren't any dentists around anymore", Michonne joked, "When we find one, then we can go back to eating all the chocolate we want"

"When we find what?", Rick repeated in a hoarse tone when he strolled into the kitchen. His brow appeared a little damp and his clothes dirty but that was expected, as he had been out all morning helping to plant and tend to their new crops.

"A dentist", Carl repeated, waiting for Elodie to fetch a knife so she could cut a slice of apple to he could give it to the toddler.

Rick's confusion was evident as he made his way to the sink, "...I'm not sure _how_ we'd find one of those"

"Do you want some?", Elodie asked her sister, holding up the apple for Colette to see, "I'll cut enough"

"No.", Colette shot back a little firmly as she shut the cabinet door with a little too much force. All eyes fell on her but she only focused on Elodie, giving her twin an annoyed look as she swanned past, leaving the kitchen entirely.

Elodie's shoulders fell in defeat, and Michonne was tempted to call the other teen back into the room but Elodie had already grabbed some more fruit from the bowl as she said, "Let's sit out front and eat there"

"...Okay", Carl responded hesitantly, but he still picked up his toddler sister and followed Elodie to the front porch.

Michonne stared after them, beginning to get lost in her own thoughts when the sound of a cup hitting the marble made her jump. She had forgotten that Rick was there. He peered at her with a hint of curiosity as he spoke, "...Hope you don't mind me asking, but uh… What are you planning to do about that?"

She could have laughed at the question, purely because it suggested that she had some sort of plan of action, when in reality her daughter's injury was new territory too. She looked back towards the front door, "I'm still trying to figure that out"

Rick continued to stare at her mercilessly, "Have you talked about it?"

She shook her head, "No."

He narrowed his eyes at her answer, "...Why?"

She was forced to look at him to explain, "Because it will only make her distance herself further."

He slowly began to nod as he dropped his gaze to the weapon in her hand, "But you have an Idea of how she feels?"

"Of course I do. She's mad at herself. She's mad that it happened to her. She's having difficulty doing things but she's not going to ask for help and she doesn't want anyone volunteering to do things for her. She wants to be included but she doesn't want the focus to be on her…", She sighed, "It's... a combination of things..."

Rick had begun to stare at her again. Although it was a lot to take in, he seemed to have done it, "...What if somebody else talked to her about it?"

Michonne blinked at him, "You mean, you?"

He shrugged innocently, "If you think it could help?"

She liked to think she was a relatively smart woman, but for some reason she couldn't understand where he was coming from. She could imagine that he wanted to help anyway that he could but it wouldn't be an easy task.

"The way I'm looking at this is… You're their mother. You already know everythan'- you just told me what you think's going through her mind and I'm willing to bet that you're right", He took a small step closer as he explained himself, lowering his voice as he continued, "And as far as she knows, I don't know any of that. She thinks that I just see what she allows me too and that could be an advantage in this. It could make it easier for her to talk to someone who doesn't know too many details… Then she gets to control what she shares, whereas with you, she might think it's pointless… You already know what she's afraid to admit and she might not want to hear it out loud just yet"

Michonne was in awe. She wasn't expecting him to produce such a solid suggestion. She had to look elsewhere for a second or two as she wrapped her mind around the idea, trying to predict all possible outcomes.

"I'm just throwing it out there", He added, "I'm not trying to step on any toes, it's just that I feel like I shouldn't be sitting out on this"

"Yeah", She breathed, anxiously spinning her katana by the handle, "I know."

Standing under his leering eyes made her so uncomfortable that she didn't know what to do with herself. It didn't matter when or where they were, she could always sense when he was looking in her direction and it didn't help that he was unapologetic when she caught him. He'd just continue to do so relentlessly.

"Well…", She was preparing to make her exit, "I'm going to-"

"...You know that Elodie called me Dad?"

She stilled in surprise, "Um, yeah. I did hear about that…"

His eyes crawled around the room as he scratched his fully beard, "She said she wants to give it a try"

Michonne got the impression that he wanted to say more on the topic but was hesitant to. She couldn't blame him as she had only ever spoken about it with the girls, but she still felt the need to ask, "How'd you feel about that?"

His eyes were warm when he looked back at her, "It's.. it feels great. I mean- I'm glad that she wants to."

Michonne rested a hand on the surface in front of her, choosing to remain quiet so that he could just say whatever it was that he wanted to get off his chest.

"...I've gotta' admit, I'm more relaxed with her. She's… she's easier to read…", He began to frown, "But it's not as easy with Colette… and I think it's gonna' be even more difficult because of everythan' that happened"

She nodded in agreement, "It will."

Rick sighed as he looked down at his glass, "I figured. It's a shame too because I was sure that I'd made some kind of headway with her"

"...Just give it some time", She offered coolly, "They're both trying to figure out how this works, too. I think everybody is."

He smirked as he shook his head, "Not Carl. I think he's settled into thangs pretty quickly"

Michonne couldn't disagree, "I've noticed. He's a cool little guy."

"It would probably make his day if he heard you say that"

"Then I'll have to let him know", She replied, finally able to make her exit freely. She was battling to keep their conversations on the lighter side of things while she figured out just what it would mean to initiate things between them.

When he first proposed the idea to her, she was admittedly shocked. He had effectively told her that he knew she had feelings for him and he was so confident that it was the truth that he would allow her to make the first move. Naturally, that angered her more than anything but when she went to bed that night, she found herself unable to think of anything else.

She realised that it wouldn't be completely unbelievable to think that the reason she had disliked him so much was because there was an attraction there, but it was so hard to recognise because he could be so unreasonable at times, especially when Dominic was around. Learning that he felt something towards her did explain his behaviour, not just towards her deceased boyfriend but in general; the relentless staring, the way he insisted on her presence around him, and the most outrageous being when he kissed her. She didn't really know what to think of that when it happened, possibly because the first thing she felt was guilt, and that feeling had settled in her stomach once again when she acknowledged the fact that she could quite possibly care about Rick more than she should.

When he wasn't being completely irresponsible in his decision making, he was an understanding man that could relate to a lot of what she felt. He was also fiercely protective, extremely loyal and willing to do whatever it took for the greater good. They were qualities about him that she could remember, and for the first time in a long time she felt like she'd touched base, as if she'd found a piece of her old home. It overwhelmed her so much that it was almost frightening, leading her to want to distance herself from him further.

Now she was questioning if she should change direction and close that distance, and the thought of what could happen if she did scared her. She already knew that once she crossed that line with Rick, she'd be embarking on something unlike anything else she knew, but she naively forgot that she may not be the only one wondering what it would be like to Rick Grimes, as when she opened the front door there was a familiar blonde waiting on the doorstep.

"Hey, just saw the kids", Jessie Anderson began in a friendly tone, waving her hand towards Judith, Elodie and Carl, "Wanted to know if Rick was here?"

Michonne open the door wider and stepped aside, "In the kitchen"

"Oh, great.", Jessie nodded, looking back towards the trio on the porch, "I was just telling them that Sam and Ron are over at Mickey's… they hadn't been there for a while"

Michonne slowly nodded, "Yeah, neither have they."

"Hopefully they can go back to hanging out together again. I know Ron really got on with your girls", Jessie explained, tucking a strand of hair behind her ears.

"...Yeah.", Michonne couldn't imagine Elodie going to see the others if Colette wasn't by her side, "Hopefully."

"It's great that these guys are so close, too. It's not often that you see teenage girls hanging out with younger boys"

Michonne smirked, "It's true, not unless they're forced to"

"They usually think they're so much more mature- and in most cases _they are_ ", Jessie joked in a loud whisper.

"Mom?", Elodie called, leaning forward so she could see her mother, "Can you um, ask… dad… to bring another apple on his way out? I think Judith want's one more…"

"Hold on, I'll get it", Michonne huffed, stepping back in the house as she looked at Jessie, "You can come in"

Jessie tore her gaze away from Elodie and looked at Michonne with an unreadable expression before she spat, "Oh- yeah, sure, thank you…"

Michonne led her back to the kitchen area, where Rick was still by the sink draining another glass of water. She grabbed one of the few remaining apples as she introduced his neighbour, "Jessie's here. I'm heading out."

Rick took a moment to respond, "Hey- uh- where- heading out?"

"...Yes, I'm on watch", Michonne explained as she looked at him strangely as she backed away, "Let Colette know, if she asks"

"...Alright."

The awkward exchange only cemented Michonne's suspicions that something had manifested between Rick and Mrs Anderson. She initially thought it was strange that the woman had thrown herself into his arms when Rick had saved her from her reanimated husband, but she imagined that it could of have been out of relief. After seeing the way Rick froze when he saw the woman, she decided that the woman's actions were only partly out of relief.

She took her position at the front of Alexandria, staring out into the breezy horizon as she questioned the next task the community had at hand. Going up against another camp wasn't something she was unfamiliar with, and her family had come across dangerous people before, but she felt better about this battle than she had done previously. While the safe-zone was divided between those who could survive and those who couldn't, she had a lot of faith in Rick's group. They were a collective of people skilled with knowledge and experience of the world on the other side of the world, and that put her mind at ease. She would gladly fight beside them.

"...How ya' doing sword lady?", The tall red-haired man that was Abraham pounded his way up the last few steps of the ladder.

"Good. You?", She replied, noticing he had a cigar hanging out of his mouth.

"Can't complain, just had myself some eggs", He stretched when he was beside her, "Do you know how long it's been since I had myself some eggs?"

Michonne watched him with amusement, "I can imagine."

Abraham blew out a breath as she began searching his pockets, then produced a lighter. Everything he did or said, Michonne found comical. She didn't mind him joining her on the tower, until he asked a particular question, "...So how's it going over at the Grimes household?"

She stared at him with an eyebrow raised, only a hint of a smile on her face.

He cringed as he looked away, "Alright, I apologise, but surely you can see that your whole living situation blows my mind. Rick Grimes is the only man that I know who has more kids now than when this shit storm started"

Michonne reluctantly sniggered at his joke.

"... I did hear about what happened to your girl, albeit, a little late but still... I'm sorry for her", He offered genuinely, "When I heard that… It made sense why you'd all shack up together. If you're lucky enough to have a family in a time like this then you keep 'em close. Don't take your eye off 'em."

Michonne didn't think that he would say anything that she would understand, but surprisingly he did. He wasn't as juvenile as she had previously assumed, "I agree."

"...You know", Abraham held the cigar only inches away from his mouth as he eyed her, "Even though you don't say much, I can tell that you'd have no problem grabbing a bull by the nut-sack, if necessary"

Michonne had to roll her eyes, though she did answer with, "Doesn't have to be necessary."

The man rattled the tower with his booming laughter.

She stood guard until she saw a small vehicle approaching the safe-zone, pleased to see that is was Jesus and two others from the Hilltop. Their plans to take out the threat that was the 'Saviors' was to be carried out under a cloak of darkness due to the positioning of their outpost. Everyone was to be ready to make the journey in the late afternoon, and sure enough they were. There weren't many of them, maybe only fifteen or sixteen, but what they lacked in numbers they made up for in ability.

There were still a few people that she was unfamiliar with, but she would have to trust them to help protect her, and her them. She rode in the RV until they arrived at a point only a mile away from the outpost, where they would wait until nightfall. Rick went over the plan several times, making sure everyone could recall their role back to him. Michonne noticed a change in his demeanour; he was even more assertive than normal, and any hint of softness that she had seen in him was hidden. His eyes were cold, serious, and totally focussed on their surroundings. Michonne could credit that prowess to his survival.

"Michonne, isn't it?", The priest approached her cautiously as she leaned against one the cars, keeping an eye out on the south of the road, "Sorry to creep up on you- I'm Gabriel. Father Gabriel."

She flashed him a brief smile.

"We never got a chance to meet formally. Thought now would be a good time since we're all here", Gabrielle held his rifle with uncertainty as he looked towards the others, "So, this isn't your first group I take it?"

"No. It's not.", She kept her eyes on the road ahead.

"Ah", He shifted from foot to foot, "Well, if all goes well here then I'd like to invite you to one of our meetings… It's been a chance for people to get more acquainted with each other, not just a place of worship… You have daughters, don't you? They could come along if they'd wish?"

Michonne glanced at him as she replied, "Like you said, if all goes well here."

Gabriel chuckled nervously, "That's true… But I have faith in Rick and the others. They've… they're the reason that I'm still standing here today. They're a strong group"

She was about to nod in agreement when a third person appeared in her peripheral. It was Rick, stalking past she and Gabriel as he barked, "Let's go"

It was such a short, sharp command that she assumed he was talking to Gabriel, but the priest looked to her, "...Think he was talking to you. He doesn't usually say anything to me. Well.. he'll say ' _get out_ ' or ' _move_ '..."

Michonne highlighted the moment as one of Rick's unreasonable behaviours. She pushed off the car and followed behind him, her Katana strapped across her back and her own rifle in her arms. Rick slowed his pace until they were in line, "You ready for this?"

She frowned at him, "You just wanted to ask that?"

He frowned back at her, "No. This is how it's gonna' be- every one's paired up. Daryl will join us once we're inside"

She released a barely audible sigh, "Got it."

They walked in silence for a few paces, both looking around them vigilantly. Even though they had a relatively difficult task at hand, Michonne still felt that walking alongside him was unnecessary to their plan and there was another reason he had found her. She was proven right soon enough, as Rick began to speak in a solemn tone when they were quite some way away from the others, "...Carl's mother. I never told you what happened to her but… she died giving birth to Judith while we up against walkers… We'd found a prison… there were some inmates still there… two of them attacked us- I killed one and thought I'd killed the other but… he came back, set up a trap… walkers came from every direction… She went off with Carl and Maggie… They came out from hiding when everything calmed down and uh, there was Judith, without her mother…"

Michonne could have tripped over her own feet, amazed that he had begun telling such a tale at such a time.

Rick continued, his eyes narrowed, "...And well, Judith… She's not actually mine. I thought she was for some time but as she got older, I could just see it... My wife and my best friend… They thought I was dead because I was in a coma when all this started. I'd gotten shot while on the job…And that friend got a little too attached and didn't want to let go, even when I found them… He tried to kill me so I had to kill him and… my wife and I, we had had problems before this but… this new world only made it harder. By the time I'd found out she was pregnant- we were hanging on a thread… And I wanted to fix that, I thought I would once we settled down somewhere then we could start to work on thangs but I never got the chance. I didn't even get a chance to tell her that I forgave her for what she did…"

Michonne was so speechless that she didn't even have a thought in her mind. She didn't dare to say anything.

"When we got to Alexandria… Jessie Anderson… she reminded me of her. Of Carl's mother. There was somethan' there… Well, I thought there was but now I'm not so sure if that was ever really the case… It disappeared just as quickly as it came and I think that was because of you and the girls getting here… I had to let go of that past to focus on the family I had in front of me… and it helped. It helped me move on from that. I let Jessie know that earlier… It was somethan' I should have done some time ago but so much has happened that it never really felt like a good time to."

Michonne discreetly inhaled a deep breath, trying to figure out what part of his admission to address first but it was all so sensitive. She settled with a simple reply, "...I'm sorry."

He finally looked at her, if only for a very brief moment, "...Don't be. You're part of the reason I got out of where I was"

She looked down at the gravel, unsure of what to say in response to that. She was still so speechless, but tried to be as honest with him as he had been with her, "...Is that the first time you've said that? About Judith?"

He bit his lips together as he too looked down at the gravel, "...It was."

Michonne didn't know what to do with herself, "...And you thought this would be a good time to say all this because…"

He smirked, "Because… This world is ours. I've finally seen that. Back when I was at that prison- I believed that we had reached the end, that we were done running and that we'd found somewhere that we could really make our own… but then we lost it, and we were out there for so long that I started to think that that was how it would be. Alexandria made me realise that you have to fight for your own now, not just for the people beside you- but for everythan', and I'm always ready to do that. I want to live. I wanna' be a able to be a father, spend time with my family, do thangs with all three of my girls that I got to do with Carl... and in order for me to get that then I need to protect that place. I need to protect the people behind those walls… and we need to help others. We can set the tone and have others will follow. If we want to get back to how thangs used to be then we need to do somethan' about it… And I'm ready to start… so I'm starting right here"

Michonne couldn't remember she felt so inspired by another person's words, "Right here?"

"Right here. I told you that I want to live… And I can't think of a better way to start that then with you, so I'm setting the tone…", He turned his head to look at her, "An honest one. I want you to know everythan', not just parts here or parts there... All of it."

Heat rushed from the bottom of her feet, all the way to the top of her head. She thanked God that her dark skin hid the biological effect he was having on her, "I thought you said you'd wait?"

"...Like I said, I'm just setting the tone", He replied coolly, his eyes at their brightest due to the setting sun.

Michonne stopped, forcing him to do the same, "If we make it out of here alive-"

"Which we _will_ ", He ejected confidently, turning to face her completely, "There's no ' _if_ ' about it"

"Then, and _only then_ , will I ask you to tell me everything", She continued, raising her hand to stop him from leaning in any closer. The fact that she already detected the faint smell of an earthy body spray was enough.

"Fine", He agreed, his chest against the palm of her hand, "And when do I get to ask you the same?"

Michonne was sure she felt his heart pulsing through his shirt. Slow, steady beats. He was at ease and in his element. The topic didn't unnerve him like it did her, nor did invading her personal space. She moved her hand away as she replied, "As soon as you're done telling me all that I need to know."

...

 **A/N:** I have to thank the lovely **_Rickskatana_** for the cover of this fic! I fricking love it and hope you all can check it out! (And hope you all enjoyed this chapter because the next is a mess lol)

-Bae xoxo


	13. Chapter 13

**AU** : Thought I could upload this tomorrow but wouldn't be able to so here it is today - Enjoy you angels!

-Bae xoxo

Chapter Thirteen:

"... _Oh, baby… We pissing our pants yet? Oh boy, do I have a feeling we're getting close. It's going to be pee-pee pants city here real soon_ …"

Rick couldn't remember a time when he felt like such a fool. Even when he was doing his best to ignore the fact that his wife and his best friend had begun a relationship in his absence, he didn't feel as shameful as he did in that moment.

He stood by the sink in his home in the dead of the night. He was sure that his children were sleeping because he hadn't heard any noise from the second floor. Michonne was on watch in the tower. Paranoia led him to believe that she didn't want to be around him. She checked on the children as soon as they arrived back in the Safe-Zone but didn't hang around long. She hadn't spoken to him, she hadn't even looked in his direction, so naturally he assumed that she was angry with him, too.

It was hard to believe that he'd been in that room only twelve hours prior, standing in that same spot, feeling on top of the world. They spent the previous night slaying Saviors at their outpost. He could have guessed that they killed anywhere between twenty to thirty men. It wasn't easy, but they did it. He naively thought that their mission was completed, and he was ready to start living. He woke up the next morning in good mood, the best he'd ever felt. He ate breakfast with his family then spent a large portion of the day tending to the community; helping with crops and overseeing the reinforcement on the south wall. He intended to return home and have dinner with his family before speaking with Michonne that night.

She had told him that if they made it out of their mission alive then she would let him tell her everything, and she would do the same in return. He was going to hold her to that arrangement, and he was looking forward to having that discussion with her, but it was brought to his attention that Maggie needed medical help. Under Olivia's encouragement, they were to take her to the Hilltop's pediatrician, so Rick, Abraham, Glenn, Maggie, Sasha, Michonne, and Daryl all piled into the RV and set off in the late afternoon.

"... _Which one of you pricks is the leader?_..."

Even still, Rick was in a relatively positive mood. He knew that his good friend wasn't in need of emergency assistance, and she had her husband beside her so she remained relatively calm. Travelling with them gave Rick a chance to speak with Jesus and Gregory about the previous night and he could let them know that Alexandria had upheld their part of the agreement...

He bowed his head out of despair when the memories began to flood his mind again. It was as if he could hear a multitude of things in his ear; taunting, screaming, crying. The worst of it all was the distinct sound of skulls being whacked open.

Footsteps alerted him to movement nearby: someone descending the stairs. He knew it wasn't Carl because his son stomped everywhere, and it couldn't have been Judith. He straightened up, looking towards the kitchen door to see who it was.

Colette walked in and gasped when she saw him. She was wearing a large t-shirt, that sadly wasn't large enough to cover her injured arm so she tucked it behind her back, "...I just wanted water, but nevermind¬"

"Wait", Rick called, his voice broken. As terrible as he felt, he couldn't let her leave that way. It pained him to see, "Can you… Just hold on a second?"

The teen looked horrified at the idea, "...What for?"

"...That.", He motioned towards her hidden arm, "You don't need to do that, is what I'm saying"

Colette instantly stared back at him with hard eyes. He had dived into a touchy subject and she was obviously not in the mood for it, "Got it. Can I go now?"

"No. I'd like to talk to you.", He insisted a little firmly, realizing it would be just as difficult as he thought it would be to speak with her, "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't stand there like that."

She didn't move, she didn't even blink. She just continued to stare at him with lips pressed firmly together. She was rooted in her position, and it reminded Rick of what Michonne had told him about the girl's silent acts of defiance.

He wasn't deterred, "You know what, believe it or not, but I'm seeing what's going on here and I get it. You might think that I don't because it hasn't happened to me but when you care about someone, and I mean really care about someone, then you go through thangs with them"

"You think that you're going through this with me?", Rick was almost amazed at how cold her tone was.

"I know that seeing you like this upsets me", He corrected, "Not just me, but your mother and your sister¬"

"I'm sorry you all feel that way", Her tone changed to something more sardonic, "It must be so hard for you guys"

Rick took a deep, calming breath, "Do you blame your mother for what happened?"

Colette's eyes narrowed at him, "No."

"What about your sister? Do you think she could have done somethan' to stop that from happening?"

"No.", She repeated, appearing confused by the route of his questions.

"What about me? Or Carl?"

She must have caught onto his point, as she didn't even make any attempt to answer him further.

"What about yourself? Do you think that it was all your fault? You think that you messed up? Because I'll tell you now- You're not feeling somethan' that nobody else has", He titled his head as he eyed her, "I wish I could stand here and tell you how many times that I messed up, I think I've lost count, and I know that when you feel that way- It makes you mad. You'll replay it in your mind over and over, trying to figure out what you could have done differently but the truth is, you can't. Whatever you've lost is gone…"

"... _Well, you don't think you were gonna' get through this without getting punished now, did you? Line 'em up!_..."

It seemed that his words hit them both at the same time. Her eyebrows rose ever so slightly and she lowered her gaze away from him.

"You'll be upset about it. That's a given, and there's nothing you can do about that either. I'm willing to bet that from the moment you were bit and up until Olivia patched you up, you thought you were gonna' die. Even though your mother was doing everythan' she could to get you back here and Olivia was doing everythan' she could to help- none of it mattered because you were scared and you thought that was it."

She hadn't looked back up at him, and her arm was still tucked behind her back, but he could see she was fidgeting with something, possibly the hem of her t-shirt.

"But it wasn't. You survived. And the first time you looked down and saw your hand missing… you probably felt like you were facing a whole new horror", He took the smallest steps towards her, "That isn't somethan' that we expect you to just accept and get on with. Nobody expects that. You have to learn how to do almost everythan' again and I'm sorry that you do, and I'm sorry that this happened to you- but if that's what had to happen to make sure you came out alive, then I would have done the same, too"

He saw her blink, causing a single tear to fall onto her t-shirt. She wiped her eye harshly with her good hand, "I want to go to my room."

Rick stopped a foot away from her. He didn't intend to make her cry, but he was pleased to see that his words had evoked some kind of reaction from her, "...I'd like to know if you understand what I'm saying to you before you leave"

"Got it. Can I go now?", Her tone was still marginally cold so Rick didn't respond. She finally looked up at him and immediately came annoyed, her eyes darting up and down his face as she stressed, "Can I _please_ go now?"

The task would be even harder than he thought. Not wanting to make her feel any more uncomfortable, he simply nodded, "Alright."

In spite of everything else that had happened, being able to get through to his daughter was a great victory for Rick. He didn't know how much of what he said sunk in but the signs that she's received his message were there. While his role as a leader could sway at times, his role as a father was one thing that he'd always be consistent with. He had to be.

Colette eventually retrieved a glass of water and retreated to her and her twins room, leaving Rick to wallow in despair once more. There were no more distractions so his mind was free to project those traumatizing images again.

"... _I don't want to kill any of you… Let me make that clear, right from the get-go. I want you working for me and you can't very well do that when you're fucking dead now, can you? I'm not growing a garden, but you killed my fucking men… A fucking whole Goddamn lot of them then I feel comfortable with, and for that… You gotta' fucking pay!_..."

Rick snapped his eyes shut just as the front door clicked open. He knew it was Michonne. He had placed himself by the sink again so he was able to look out the window. There were no expectations for her to say anything to him, and he thought she'd just go upstairs and retire to bed, but he was mistaken. She came into the kitchen with long, purposeful strides and stopped by the island. He couldn't look back at her.

"...What's the plan?", Her voice was low and tired.

He took a moment to think of a reply, "...There isn't one."

She placed something down on the counter, possibly a rifle, "...Yeah? So we're doing what he says?

Rick didn't answer because he simply couldn't. He didn't want to admit that they couldn't have a retaliation plan. He turned to face her at least, but kept one hand on the counter and the other on his side, his head bowed and his gaze low.

He heard her sigh, "...I'm sorry about Glenn, and I'm sorry about Abraham."

Just like that, Rick was hit with a wave of images; both men having a bat swung at their heads repeatedly, skulls cracking and blood squirting in his face. He snapped his eyes shut again as he shook his head, speaking in a deep, hoarse tone, "Don't. Please."

She moved, her footsteps getting closer and closer to him until she was close enough for him to see her lower half. She was close, he could feel her warmth, "...None of us knew."

"But I should have", He shot back easily, almost looking up at her, "It was my job to find out- my job to make sure that I knew all there was to know about them."

She said nothing in response to this point.

"...The whole time we were kneeling there… I knew what he was getting at. I knew he was going to kill one of us and I wanted it to be me. He wanted blood and I knew that and I just…", Rick felt his chest grow tight with rage, "If it weren't for Glenn, I would have killed myself. I thought it was my only option. He found me when I'd just left Morgan at the start of this, and I was surrounded by walkers… But he came out of nowhere and helped me and he's been doing that since day one… And if it weren't for Abraham helping him then we wouldn't have gotten here… It was his plan to get us going in this direction, and it's because of him that Glenn found Maggie again- they both did _so_ much… And they didn't deserve that"

"...You wouldn't have deserved that either.", She countered quietly.

"...I appointed myself as the leader here. I've done so for a long time… And every single time we've lost someone… It's a fail on my part because that's what I'm meant to be preventing but instead, I lead us right into an ambush… I lead Glenn and Abraham to their deaths and I couldn't do anythan' at all about that… and even after everythan'... when we were sitting there next to them… all I could think was thank God that it wasn't you… I think I'd be dead right now if it was...", He began to squint as a stumbled upon a new layer of guilt.

A breeze of silence passed by, giving Rick the chance to think himself further into anguish until he felt her hand rest on his hand. His gaze crept over to her fingers; he shocked to see her touch him and even more shocked when he felt her rest her head on his shoulder, her nose brushing his bicep. He inhaled her scent, noticing the faint smell of vanilla, while thoughts clashed in his mind.

She spoke in a soothing mellow tone, "...Anyone he picked would have been equally devastating... including you…"

Rick confessed, "I don't have a plan right now. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize, Rick.", She lifted her head from his shoulder but kept her hand firmly on his arm, her eyes leering at the side of his face, "So stop."

He felt as if he couldn't breathe. All of a sudden the air in the room was humid and he couldn't think straight, "What are you doing, Michonne?"

She drew back, her big brown eyes moving like pinballs as she searched his face for some kind of clue of what he meant.

A scoff escaped in his exhale, "...Don't play dumb. You know what I mean."

She didn't move for what seemed like an eternity, but when she finally did, he saw her hand fall from his and the skin immediately felt cold. He almost regretted saying anything, but then he saw the same hand reach up to his face, trembling ever so slightly as she cupped his jaw.

He felt a little pressure from her, trying to encourage him to lift his head but he quickly removed his own hand from the counter and held hers, "Don't do anythan' you wouldn't do, if thangs had gone differently earlier"

She gave him that look again, as if she couldn't understand what he was talking about.

"I mean it, Michonne", He warned, a sinister edge to his tone, "If you open that door... then I'm barging in"

It appeared as though she acknowledged his warning as she didn't try to move him but she moved instead, and before Rick knew it, she had tilted her head and placed the most gentle of kisses on the corner of his lips. All of his senses grew powerful, and he was forced to lift his head to look at her straight on but that only allowed her to do it again; her full, luscious lips planted on his.

Rick felt as if he were teetering on the edge of a deep, dark abyss. The rational part of him had questions but the impulsive side of him didn't want to think about it anymore, and in his mind, he had dived into the unknown without a second thought.

His hands found her waist, and what little space there was between them was closed with a sharp tug. His tongue pushed between her lips in search of hers and danced with delight when he found it. He heard her gasp through her nose and it almost made him shudder. He was sure that he could wait for her, he knew that he could, but in that moment he couldn't wait another second. He had her taste on his tongue and her flesh in his hands and it wasn't enough. He guided her back, pushing her up against the counter while his hands slid beneath her tank top and caressed her skin firmly.

"Wait", She breathed, her hands on his chest to stop him. One or two words drizzled out of her mouth that he could comprehend, "Not… here"

He obliged by wrapping an arm behind her back while grabbing hold of her thigh and lifting her into his arms. He moved as fast and as quietly as he could to get her to his bedroom. Colette had to have fallen asleep, he hoped. As much as he loved his children, he couldn't bear the thought of his moment with Michonne being interrupted. She was anchored to him, peppering kisses along his cheek as he carried her. He felt so good that he was afraid he'd wake up to learn that it had all just been a dream.

Once his bedroom door was closed he felt safe to return to his primal state. She jumped off of him and began pulling her shirt above her head and Rick worked on her pants; yanking the button free and tugging them over her delectable rear. He kneeled, kissing her down her stomach and on the thin, fabric that housed her most delicate area. He wanted to tear it off with his teeth.

With her clothes off, she made him stand and started on him; gathering his shirt to pull over his head. Rick helped her, his chest rising with excitement when he felt her lips between his pecs. He wondered if she could feel his heart beating thumping against his rib cage.

"Get on the bed", He ordered in a deep, husky tone, his lids heavy with lust.

She did, backing up towards the bed as she reached behind her and unhooked her bra. Every little move she made was recorded in his mind. He was finally able to right the wrongs he made the first time they had sex. While he could admit that he was much too young back then, he still couldn't force himself to recall the memory without cringing.

With his body free from clothes, he stood at the edge of the bed and watched her peel the tiniest piece of material off. He wouldn't even call it underwear. He helped her pull them from her ankles then spread her legs so he could crawl over her, his eyes examining every single inch of her body. He noted a few scars in odd places that peaked his interest, but she brushed her thigh against his to get his attention again.

They kissed, not as feverishly as they had done in the kitchen but the passion was there, like they needed to cement the moment. Rick slipped his hand between them so he could feel her, and the heat that came from between her legs was the most alluring thing he'd ever felt. He used fingers to brush her core, separating her lips in the process. She whimpered, her nails grazing the skin on his shoulders. Rick teased her mercilessly, his eyes glued to her face as he coated her with her own passion. He was also tormenting himself. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen a sight so spectacular; It made him throb to see her try to keep eye contact with him but she'd fail when he touched her clit and her eyes would roll shut. He wanted to see how she'd react if he covered her sex with his mouth. He'd suck on her until she couldn't take it anymore. He had to control his thoughts and focus on the moment. When he was sure that she was just as desperate as he was to move forward, he took his solid member in his hands and placed it at her entrance.

Entering her almost made his vision blur. She took him in with resistance, forcing him to move slowly. Her eyes snapped shut and her nails dug into his skin, so he leaned down and kissed her neck, trying to make her relax enough to let him in. He sucked her skin between his teeth and nibbled on her, leading her to moan in return. He gave her even more of himself until she completely enveloped him, and the sensation that came with it was something unexplainable.

Each stroke he made from that point on was controlled. He didn't want it to end before he'd already begun, so he couldn't get carried away. He rested on his forearms and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Her breaths tickled his lips and the tip of their noses rubbed against each other. It was heavenly, enough to make him forget everything outside of that room. He let his forehead rest on hers when he began to rock against her, trying not to remove himself from her core. He felt her breathing change, her moans rolling from her lips.

Sparks danced up his spine. His skin pebbled while hers grew hotter and everything about the intimacy they were sharing was out of this world, but he was quickly becoming greedy. He kissed her with some force when he drove into her hard, causing one of her hands to grab hold of his bicep in shock. He kept thrusting, the sound of their sex filling the room. She brought her foot up and planted it on his thigh as if she were trying to slow him down but the angle allowed him to go deeper, so he did just that, submerging his length until there was nothing left. He wanted to make her feel as he did; ruined. There was no going back.

"Rick!", Was all she could spit out when he released her mouth, her back arching off the bed as her head rolled back.

" _Shhh_...", He growled, his teeth scraping along her jawline.

He kept up his attack on her core, even when he felt her walls begin to pulse around his member. He watched her unravel beneath him; her jaw quivered shut, her eyes closed tight while her hands held his bicep in a vice grip. He had slowed his movements but still rolled his lips against hers, forcing her body to convulse every time he sank inside. He was sure that she'd finally pierced his skin with her nails but he didn't care. He wanted to break her in, to show her what it meant to be loved by Rick Grimes. He was going to take her to the edges of insanity, and he was sure that he did because he felt her passion gush around his length when he pulled out. She howled as her legs trembled on either side of him, "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

Rick slid back in and hammered her. He had to. She felt too good to stop.

"Rick- please!", She pleaded in a high pitched whisper, the desperation in her voice driving him wild. He watched the scene between them, hypnotized by the way his member glistened when he withdrew himself. He looked up at her when he felt her squeeze his arm. She couldn't take anymore and fortunately for her, neither could he. His release came in a violent wave. He slammed into her and held himself still as he spilled his seed in her warmth, his hand pinning her thigh back so she got all of him. She didn't object when he slowly pumped out his load. She just laid there with her eyes closed, panting tiredly.

He was spent, and used the last bit of energy he had to withdraw himself from her, so he could pull the sheets over them both. He was sure he heard her start to snore only seconds after she'd rolled on her side. He sighed to himself as he pulled her against him, making sure that they were so close that not even a ray of light could squeeze through. He laced his fingers through hers and he fell asleep quite easily, given the circumstances.

It was something he worried about, whether he would be able to close his eyes and not see Glenn or Abraham, and unsurprisingly, he did. He saw their faces again and again. He heard the screams again and again. By the time he woke up he felt as though he hadn't slept at all, and that the night had passed to unfairly quick. He dreaded the thought of having to face anyone but he knew that he had to. He had to get up and he had to speak with his community, but he was in no rush to. He held Michonne in his arms, listening to her breath and wondering if she dreamed of the same things that he did.

"Cah!... Da-dee!", Judith called faintly from her room.

Rick sat up onto his forearm as he listened for any other movement, wondering if anyone else had heard her calls, when Michonne rolled on her back and rubbed her eyes, asking in a groggy tone, "...Time?"

"Almost seven", Rick looked over his shoulder at the alarm clock on the nightstand. She groaned as she rolled back onto her side, and allowing him to place little pecks on her exposed shoulder, "You don't have to get up yet¬"

"Dad, Judith's up", Carl declared tiredly as he opened the bedroom door, causing Rick to freeze in horror. His son was rubbing his eyes, as he muttered, "Can you get her?"

Rick felt all the color drain from his face as he glanced down at Michonne, who was staring at the boy with red, alert eyes. Rick crocked out, "Uh, yeah, I got her"

"...'Kay", Carl replied, as he stepped out. Michonne stared at the door, too stunned to move, and it was just as Rick was about to question whether his son had noticed what he had stumbled upon, the door cracked open, and it was through the gap that they saw Carl's eyes bulge out of shock as he gasped, and swiftly shut the door again.

"...There it is", Rick finally released the breath he was holding, "Took his brain a minute to wake up"

Michonne sat up, her eyes still bloodshot and her dreads falling one way and another as she looked at Rick, "Go and talk to him now"

Rick mimicked her position, "I will. Just let him… digest this first. He's probably embarrassed."

She huffed and puffed as she ran her hands over her face, "God."

"Hey", Rick put his hand on her back and began rubbing her skin in tender, circular motions, "Don't worry about it"

Michonne used her finger to comb her locks back, "We haven't even talked about where they fit in all this, Rick"

"They'd be in the same place they were before", He stressed, his brows furrowing together, "Outside of what's happening here, nothing changes. We'd still be a family"

"I'm not his mother", She pointed out a little firmly, "He might not see me as family just yet- Just let me just get up, I need to have a shower¬"

"Hey, hey", He held her wrist, stopping her from getting up so soon, "Calm _down_. It's alright, we'll figure this out. I'll talk to Carl, and when you're ready then we'll both talk to the girls."

Michonne looked at his hand and it took her several seconds to finally respond, "Yeah."

He tugged her back before she could leave again, then caught her cheek, turning her head so he could kiss her. He felt her unwillingly melt against his lips, and it sent shockwaves through his mind. She had to pull away or else he wouldn't have. Everything else around him was beginning to shatter, and in some cases, things had already shattered. He didn't know what it was that made Michonne act the way she did the previous night but he didn't care to know because her timing was absolutely necessary. His family was the only thing that seemed to be remaining intact and it was important to him that it stayed that way.

"What's happening today?", She asked as she pulled on her tank top.

He looked away from her as he stood up, "I'm gonna' talk to everyone… Let them know what happened… What's gonna' happen."

She didn't say anything further, and by the time Rick had thrown on some clothes, she had snuck out the room. He questioned if she remained quiet because she didn't agree. In spite of what he thought was best, he had to realize that he wasn't the only one to watch Glenn and Abraham and that others had come away traumatized, too. She may have had her own ideas on what they did next and he would have been willing to hear them if she was willing to share, but she didn't. He almost lost himself in his thoughts but swiftly snapped out of it.

It was easier to put on a brave face when he simply didn't think about it.

With Judith in his arms, he made his way to the bottom floor of the house to make breakfast. Having options when it came to meals was something he'd have to get used to again, but having the choice spurred him into preparing something for everyone. Judith watched him from her high chair as he prepared eggs, toast, and oatmeal with pre-cut berries nearby. Elodie was the first to join them in the kitchen, and her eyebrows sprung up in joy when she saw the spread.

"...What's the occasion?", She chimed, taking a seat at the table beside Judith. She was sporting an identical sweatshirt to her sister's and a pair of zebra print leggings that Rick was sure he saw Michonne in one morning.

"No occasion", Rick lied, setting down the last plate at the head of the table, "You like eggs?"

"I do", She nodded, her eyes examining the food carefully for a few moments before she peered up at him. He stilled when he noticed her, and after some hesitation, she declared sincerely, "...I'm sorry about what happened…"

He dropped his gaze as he set the plate down but quickly met her's again, "Thank you."

Elodie nodded as her eyes glazed over and trailed off somewhere else in the room, and the tiniest of smiles appeared on her face as she looked towards Judith, "I can feed her."

Heavy footsteps descended the stairs and Colette appeared shortly after, wearing the oversized sweatshirt that Rick had came to loathe. Her hood was up and drawstrings tied, leading him to believe that she wasn't in a talkative mood, but he still said, "Morning."

He received a gruff greeting in return as she took a seat in between Rick and her twin. He noticed her look up and down the table with furrowed brows as she asked with a broken tone, "What's the occasion?"

"No occasion", He repeated, picking up his glass of water, "Go on, eat somethan'..."

Colette gave the briefest of shrugs, and was about to reach for the fruit opposite her sister but stopped when she realized she was using her handless limb. Rick watched the scene anxiously from behind his glass while Elodie caught the end of her sister's movement and realized what she was trying to do. Without saying anything, she slid the bowl closer to Colette; not directly in front of her, but close enough for her to reach it. Colette used her other hand to take it and they continued to do what they were doing, as if nothing had happened. As neither drew attention to the act, Rick didn't either, but he was sure that the two of them had set some kind of understanding between each other, and he couldn't help but feel touched.

They ate their breakfast in a comfortable silence, until another round of footsteps descended the steps, and this time it was Michonne. She was dressed, with her locks tied back and her boots on. She made her way to the table as she declared, "I'm heading out… Should be back before lunch"

Rick squinted as if he hadn't heard her right, but he did, "Where?"

"Not far", She replied as she leaned between the twins and grabbed one of the slices of bread, she then looked down at both girls, "Make sure you let someone know if you plan on doing anything out the usual"

"Got it", They both replied like drones, neither of them looking up from their plates as she kissed them on their heads one after the other. Rick had to bite his tongue for a short while as he didn't want to alarm anyone at the table, so instead, he calmly rose from his seat and followed her out the room and into the hallway.

"What exactly is it that you plan to do out there?", He asked carefully when she opened the front door.

She glanced over her shoulder at him as she stepped over the threshold, "I need to brush up on a few things"

Rick frowned at her back, "A few thangs?"

"Yeah", She sighed, narrowing her eyes as she looked up and down the neighborhood. She adjusted her sheath when she began to make her way off the porch, "Don't forget to talk to Carl¬"

"Michonne. Stop.", He commanded a little firmly, closing the front door behind him, "I can't allow it. I wouldn't have before but… definitely not now. You need to stay here. Everybody does."

She turned her body to face him, "What difference would it make if I leave?"

He shook his head at the notion, "It's not about the difference it would make, it's the fact that we know they've been out there watching us- they know where we are, and I don't know when he plans to turn up here¬"

"We agreed to his rules, didn't we?", She pointed out, taking a step back onto the porch, "So when he decides to come here and take whatever he can, then he will, and since we don't have any kind of plan to stop that then I can assume that we're going to let him do just that. It will make no difference whether I'm sat inside for a couple of hours or if I'm out there for a couple of hours. They're still coming."

Rick found himself biting the inside of his cheek. It was a terrible habit, and he only ever did it when he was really trying to get a hold on his thoughts. He shifted his weight from one leg to another, unable to even look at her as he spoke, "I said no, Michonne. I can't have that"

He noticed her doing something, and when he looked up and saw that she had crossed her arms. Even though she spoke softly, her expression was hard, "You can't stop me, Rick"

"Would I have to?", He raised an eyebrow at her as he moved closer. She stared back at him, making no attempt to respond to his question. He felt as if he were facing a more trained version of Colette. He stopped at the top step, peering down at her as he asked, " _Well_?"

"It makes no difference.", Michonne finally replied, her dark lashes perfectly curled around her angry eyes.

"That's not what I asked you", He shot back, his eyes glowing with need. The fact that he even had to voice his dismay at her task aggravated him, and he was beginning to think that she did disagree with how he planned to handle Negan. He squinted at her as he spoke, "I've put everythan' on the table, Michonne. I've told you what I want to happen here and I told you that I'd wait for you¬"

"What has that got to do with anything?", She hissed, her brows furrowing furiously.

"You know what I want to happen here", He explained, his own brows beginning to furrow, "I said I wanted you at my side and _running off_ when I've asked you not to is the opposite of that. I've said no, and I don't want either of us to find out what I'd have to do to stop you, but If I have to then I will¬"

"Rick!", Both of them looked to the street when they heard Tobin call his name, surprised to see the man running towards them breathlessly, "They're here! The Saviors are here!".


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen:

Michonne could only liken the scene in front of her to something she'd seen on the discovery channel years ago; two alpha male lions sizing each other up when they had crossed paths in the savanna. She felt as if she were watching it all over again, but the lions were replaced by Rick, and the sadistic man she knew as Negan.

Her disagreement with Rick had already riled him up, and it was clear to her that he was in no mood to deal with Negan. He stood tall, shoulders back and chest puffed up. He had that dangerous look in his eyes that most could easily recognize as a warning of what's to come. Those cold, baby blues made a brief appearance during their tryst the night before. She couldn't forget the way he pinned her down and did his best to hammer her into the mattress. There was almost no difference in his behavior inside and outside the bedroom; he was merciless whatever the scenario.

"Don't you make me have to fucking ask", Negan spoke menacingly as he peered at Rick through the bars of the front gate. Michonne wanted to ask him the same thing; his brown eyes glowed with delight as if he were only seconds away from indulging in his most delectable meal. Trucks were lined up in the street that led to the Safe-zone and dozens of Saviors surrounded them, all stood painfully still as they waited for their leader's command.

Rick was not amused. He stared back at the man as he barked to Eugene, "Open it up!"

Michonne hung back but she kept her eyes firmly on Rick. Even though he wasn't willing to come up with a plan to stop Negan, she knew he wasn't going to be completely submissive either, and his unpredictable nature was another thing they'd have to worry about.

"Why, thank you!", Negan boomed as he strolled into Alexandria, holding the bat that he beat Abraham and Glenn to death with. Michonne felt sick to her stomach when she looked at the bloodstained wood and bits of flesh still stuck on the barbed wire. Negan stopped a footway from Rick and brought the bat down, "Would you hold this for me?"

Michonne could no longer see Rick's face but she could imagine how he looked when he replied, "I don't think you wanna' give that to me"

Negan's face only lit up, "Oh, I think that I do"

"You _don't_ ", Rick's tone dropped to the lowest octave Michonne had ever heard from him.

Going against everything she felt, she stepped forward and held out her hand. She could at least beat him with his own weapon, if nothing else, "If you really need someone to hold it then give it here"

Rick turned his head back slightly in shock, while Negan raised an eyebrow at her as he looked her from head to toe, his eyes crawling all over her torso and limbs until they reached her face, "Lady, you are hot enough already. If I let you hold this then I might lose my _damn_ mind"

Michonne suppressed the urge to gag and looked in Rick's direction, hoping that the man's comment wouldn't be the thing that made him react but she quickly learned that she had nothing to worry about. He cocked his head to the side as he blocked Negan's view of her, "You came here for a reason, so do what you gotta' do then leave"

Negan's charming smile turned into something more sinister as he moved closer to Rick, "Something tells me that I haven't left the right kind of impression on you, Rick? You still think your dick is bigger than mine? Is that what you think?"

Rick didn't respond. Michonne knew he was scowling.

"I promise you, it's not", Negan bit his lip as he chuckled, swinging his bat back and forth, "Now, this is what's going to happen; You are going to hold Lucille while I take a look around, and my people help themselves to your shit. You are not going to do anything about it because if you try to stop this then I will make you pick who I kill next, and if you don't pick then I will"

Michonne held her breath. It was a threat that she knew he'd happily carry out and she knew that Rick knew that, too. Losing Glenn and Abraham was devastating enough and the thought of losing anyone else was enough to make her panic, especially since they were stood in there home, where their children were. She stared at the back of Rick's head anxiously.

Negan lost his smile as he repeated, "Now, hold Lucille"

Residents waited with baited breath for their leader to react. Michonne shifted uneasily, knowing Rick was battling with the two sides of his brain, and just when it looked like Negan was going to repeat himself a third time, Rick snatched the bat from his hand.

Everything seemed so surreal that Michonne wasn't sure if she was awake or having a nightmare. She couldn't believe how a simple state of events had declined rapidly in such a short space of time, but in hindsight, she should have known better. They all should have known. It was almost too easy for them to sneak into the compound and wipe out the Saviors; it didn't make sense to her, especially after all that Jesus had told them. She refused to believe a group of twenty to thirty men couldn't bring a community as large as the Hilltop down to their knees so easily. Even if Jesus claimed that they didn't have many fighters, they still could have defended themselves against so few.

It all made sense when they found themselves surrounded by six or seven dozens of men and women while on their way back to the Hilltop. It was a crippling realization for them all, and the most traumatic thing she'd witnessed in a long time.

Having been placed between Abraham and Glenn, she saw it all. Every single part of their deaths. She vividly remembered being hit with flying brain matter and blood. She only looked away from the crushed skulls because she became aware of desperate screams coming from the other side of Abraham's corpse, and there she saw Maggie, hysterically crying and clawing for her husband's body. Michonne looked at the others in a daze; Sasha had fallen forward in a heap while Daryl looked like a rabid dog that had been backed into a corner, his eyes darting from one person to another as if he remembering their faces. He disappeared when all was done and Michonne figured that she knew why.

And then there was Rick. He didn't look away from his friends. His cold blue eyes remained glued to them. He was beside himself, unable to say or do anything. Michonne left him that way because she didn't think she could offer him anything. She didn't think she could offer any of them anything. They were a group of people that had formed deep-rooted bonds with each other, and even though they had all suffered loss before she could easily guess that nothing as earth-shattering as that.

She felt utterly useless and she didn't think there was anything she could do until she found herself alone on the watchtower. It occurred to her that she had to do something, especially since Rick had sunken into the deepest depths of his mind and she hated seeing him that way. The man she knew who too often wreaked of confidence and pride was ripping himself apart with guilt.

She didn't think that having sex with him would suddenly make things better, but she knew that he wouldn't allow her to just comfort him. She knew that he wouldn't allow her to just hold him. That invisible door he spoke of between the two of them did exist, and even if she had just placed her hand on the doorknob, he would have kicked it in. She had come to terms with that long before she kissed him, although she didn't expect him to ravish her the way he did and she didn't expect herself to crumble so easily beneath him. Her skin would warm when she remembered his touch.

"Just look at this place! It's motherfucking, cocksucking, magnificent!", Negan declared mockingly as he dawdled down the street, looking at every single home they passed, "Wow! You live in fucking houses?! Hot damn, man. You're living like _kings_!"

Michonne walked behind Rick, who walked behind Negan. Saviors had begun ransacking homes and throwing furniture out on the street for no other apparent reason than to be destructive. Rick held Lucille tight as if he were deciding whether to use it or not.

"Well look at what we have here", Negan announced, stopping dead in the middle of the street, "You've got people over here making babies too? Well, ain't that nice?"

Michonne looked to their home in horror when she realized he could have only have been talking about Judith, and to her dismay, the children were stood out on the porch while a loud ruckus came from inside the home. Elodie held Judith on her hip, while Carl and Colette stood in front of them; Carl held a pistol in his hand and his Sheriff hat low.

"What the hell…", Negan said, obviously confused. He stepped forward and so did Rick, causing Negan to look at him strangely; like he was trying to solve a riddle in his mind. Seconds later the man smiled wildly as he raised a finger towards Carl, "That one's yours"

Rick didn't respond, but Michonne noticed him begin to twirl the bat in his grip.

"I'm certain that he is", Negan carried on as he inched closer to the porch steps looking over the children carefully, specifically the girls who wore identical scowls, "And I can guess who the two of you belong to¬"

"You should all go home now", Carl warned with furious eyes, "Before you learn just how dangerous we all are"

Negan's head reared back as he looked down at Carl, "Pardon me, young man, and fucking excuse the shit out of my goddamn french… But did you just threaten me?... That sounded like a threat, but I like to be damn sure when it comes to these kinds of things"

"Carl", Rick eyed his son from where he stood, "No."

"I'm in the middle of a fucking conversation here. Don't be rude, Rick", Negan shot him a scolding look before looming over Carl again, "Now, where were we? Oh, yeah… your giant fucking man-sized balls. I might not have heard you clearly, what were you saying again?"

"Can you _quit_ it? He's eleven years old", Colette snapped angrily, "And you're, like, fifty. Move on."

Negan's head reared back again, but this time he turned back to face the small crowd of people behind him as he snickered, "Jesus fucking Christ! Fifty? _Fifty_ fucking years old- did you hear that shit?"

A few of the Saviors sniggered with him, while Michonne gave her more opinionated daughter a knowing look. She shrugged back at her as if she had no other option but to say something.

"What the hell are you given these kids?", Negan feigned offense as he turned back to the trio, specifically Colette, "I'll have you know, little miss blue and brown eye… that I am not fucking fifty¬"

"Doesn't matter. You're _old_ ", Colette shot back dryly, "And you should know better"

Negan bit his lip as he gave her the most sinister smile he had seen yet, "You know what. You're fucking right. I shouldn't be calling out a bunch of little kids when I can just kill their fucking parents instead"

Michonne saw that Rick was going to move again and lunged forward, grabbing his arm to stop him. Negan spun around and eyed them both suspiciously for several moments, before erupting in a cackle.

"Oh, boy. Isn't that something?", He sang joyfully as he walked away from the porch, "You're gonna' have to explain that shit to me because I have questions for you, Rick"

Rick tugged his arm out of her hold and followed Negan as he continued his tour of the community. Michonne decided to go over to where the children were stood, "Are you all okay?"

"Yeah", Colette answered, glancing back at the home when she heard a glass smash, "What are they doing?"

Michonne sighed as she looked up the street, "Making a mess of things. Just stay out of their way- We can't do anything about it right now, okay?"

Her girls looked mortified at the idea, but still nodded their heads in agreement, while Carl continued to stare into their home, his finger on the trigger of his gun.

"Carl?", Michonne called, tilting her head so that she could see him. Even though they were stood in a tricky situation, she still felt completely awkward speaking to the boy after what had happened that morning.

He slowly looked up at her from beneath the brim of his hat, meeting her brown eyes with a set of skeptical blue ones, and then he muttered, "I heard you."

Michonne averted her gaze as she replied, "Good¬"

"Hey! Wait! Please, stop! You can't take that- it's special to him!", Jessie Anderson protested from across the street. Michonne span around surprised to see the blonde engaging in a tug of war with a burly, pale man, "Take anything else but not this! Please!"

Michonne hurried off the porch, noticing that the woman's cries had gathered a lot of attention from others, including Negan and Rick. She reached the other woman's property just as the man had shoved Jessie to the ground, leading her oldest son to run out the garage screaming, "Hey! Get away from my mom!"

"Hey, stop!", Michonne instructed, but the teen had already tried to shove the larger man, who punched him in the face in return. Ron flew backward, his scrawny body falling back beside his mother. Jessie screamed and cradled her son while, Michonne parked herself between the trio, raising her hand to stop the man from doing anything further, "You've got what you want, now go"

The Savior curled his top lip at her as he held what appeared to be some kind of book, "Who the hell do you think you're talking to lady?"

"You!", Michonne issued firmly as she pointed to the man, "Take the book and go!"

"Hey! Hey", Negan sauntered over to them, feigning concern as he looked at everyone involved, "What's going on here?"

"That asshole took my little brothers diary, pushed my mom, then hit me!", Ron spat angrily as his mother helped him up from the grass.

Much to everyone's surprise, Negan looked to the man from his own side with confusion, "What the hell do you want with a little boy's diary?"

The burly man shrugged with embarrassment and threw the book down by Jessie's feet, "Nothing, just thought it was funny¬"

"You caused all of this for no reason?", Negan repeated with a look of disgust on his face, "That is _not_ cool! Go wait by the trucks, now!"

Michonne couldn't understand what she was witnessing and found herself looking at Rick for some kind of clarification but he wore the same expression that she did. They both then turned their attention back to Negan, who was all but drooling over Jessie while she tried to tend to her son.

"I'm very sorry about that", He slithered his way over to the mother, "Sometimes these guys forget their manners. Hi, I'm Negan"

Jessie held Ron close as she recoiled in terror from the man, either too scared to reply or too disgusted. Luckily for both of them, someone yelled for Negan from nearby the Infirmary, distracting them all. Michonne saw her breath a sigh of relief when Negan marched away, and while she knew that Rick had every intention of following him, he didn't immediately spring into action as he moved beside her to whisper, "I want you to hang back here and keep an eye on thangs"

Michonne didn't like that instruction. Leaving him and Negan alone didn't seem wise. She began to shake her head to signal her disagreement but stopped when she noticed Elodie hurry across the street with all the grace of a gazelle, a look of worry etched on her face. Michonne thought she was heading in her direction but Elodie quickly let her known that her concern was with Ron Anderson. She watched their interaction; Elodie looked him over while the teen boy appeared to try and shrug it off, fixing his over shirt that hung off his shoulder. When it finally registered to her just what was happening between the two teens she could have groaned, but instead, she turned back to Rick. Unfortunately, he had also noticed Elodie and Ron's discreet display.

"Go on. I'm watching things here", She urged, only capturing his attention for a second or two, "Rick!"

Rick took one look behind him again. Michonne was surprised to see him roll his eyes before he stalked up the street to catch up with Negan. It was clear to her that despite everything else that was happening around them whatever was happening with his children would always be a top priority.

They all had to stand back and watch their homes ransacked. Furniture thrown on the street and mindlessly destroyed. Michonne figured that it was simply an act; Negan wanted to mark his territory. He wanted to show Rick that he had him backed up against the wall and there was nothing he could do about it, but Michonne didn't think that was true. They didn't have to follow Negan's rules and if they were going to fight back then they would have to do it properly but there would be no use if their leader didn't feel the same. She was sure that she knew what was going through Rick's mind and fighting back was not something he was contemplating. She just knew it.

The atmosphere in the community shifted from one filled with fear to one raging with anger when the Saviors finally left. It was evident in the way that residents harshly sifted through items, trying to see what they could salvage. She didn't need to ask any of them who they blamed for the latest disruption in their lives. Scornful looks followed Rick as he marched up the street but no one dared to catch his eye. No one dared to voice their grievance. Michonne considered that to be dangerous.

"They cleared out half of the pantry _and_ the infirmary", Aaron declared regretfully as he caught up to Rick. Michonne stood back and listened.

"The armory?", Rick questioned roughly, his frustration clear in his tone.

"That too, but…", Aaron lowered his voice, "A lot of stuff was _missing_ "

"Missing?", Rick tilted his head at the man, "What does that mean?"

"We had more weapons in there", Aaron frowned to stress his point, "I'd say at least a third of them were missing"

To Michonne's surprise, Rick looked back over his shoulder at her. She blinked at him, not feeling it was necessary for her to explain that she had nothing to do with the missing weapons.

He slowly inhaled as he turned his attention back to Aaron, "Alright. I'll find out where they are"

"Wait- what do we tell everyone?", Aaron rose his hands with the question, "We can't live like this¬"

"Rick!", Someone called sternly. Michonne looked around, trying to find where the unfamiliar voice came from. She had to follow Rick and Aarons gaze to see that it had come from the steps of a townhouse, where an older woman stood. She looked withered, her hair falling in front of her face but not enough to hide her sunken features. A tall young male was stood behind her. Michonne was sure that his name was Spencer. She looked back at Rick and saw that his expression had hardened, his jaw clenched shut.

Aaron sighed as he began to walk away, "I'll go first"

Rick turned to Michonne but kept his eyes on the woman, "I'll meet you back at the house"

It dawned on her after a few seconds that the person that had commanded their attention was Deanna. It had to be. Michonne stopped Rick before he could follow behind Aaron, "I'm coming"

"No.", He shook his head adamantly, "It's somethan' I've gotta' deal with. On my own."

The urge to ignore him was strong, but she sensed there was a deeper meaning behind his words. She decided she could grill him about it later because her focus was still on recovering whatever they could from the mess.

It took her some time to finally walk away after he left her. She couldn't bring herself to move one foot in front of the other. The same rage that boiled within the others was burning in her too and she couldn't stand the thought of watching the town crumble because of Negan. Too many residents put their heart and soul into making the community what it was and it would be a great injustice to all of them to see their hard work ripped from their hands.

"Just look at this place…", A man threw down the remains of a chair in the street and peered around him in disgust, "Look at what he's done to our homes!"

Michonne slowed down when she heard his outburst. A female resident rose from her crouched position beside a dresser, "What are we going to do? Our homes- our families- we're not safe!"

"Hey!", Michonne called, slowly stepping into their view, "Take what you can back in your homes and we can all talk about this at the next meeting! Complaining about it now is pointless and it won't fix anything that's already broken"

She didn't mean to be so abrasive, but her emotions were beginning to get the best of her. The residents seemed to share some kind of look with each other as if they silently agreed to touch on the subject amongst themselves, which meant that Rick would have to speak with them sooner.

The children had ventured back into the home by the time she arrived back. Colette held Judith and kept her entertained while Carl and Elodie tried to clean up as best as they can. Michonne removed her katana and helped them. They tidied the home silently while Judith babbled away to Colette. The air in the home wasn't as thick, and Michonne felt as if she could finally breathe easy around them, but she caught Carl peeking at her a handful of times and it made her feel uneasy.

Usually, she believed that she would wait to tackle sensitive topics so that all involved felt comfortable to do so, but when she found herself alone with Carl in the kitchen, she stumbled into the beginnings of an awkward discussion, "...About this morning…"

Carl froze. His head was lowered towards the ground but his eyes rolled up to meet her, "...Sorry I didn't knock."

"That's okay", She assured, trying to gauge his mood, "I know you probably didn't think you had to... But… I'm sorry that you had to walk in and find out about us that way. If it makes you feel any better then I'm just as embarrassed as you"

Carl furrowed his dark brows at her remark, " _Why_?"

She stared at him blankly, "...Because you saw… us"

"Oh… yeah", Carl seemed to mull over her answer. He finally asked, "...So have you guys been, like, boyfriend and girlfriend this whole time?"

She shook her head, "No, this is… new."

The boy slowly nodded as he dropped his gaze, "Okay"

Michonne shifted uneasily, "...I know you'd probably prefer to have this conversation with your dad- and he'll be back soon… I just wanted to check that you're okay?"

Carl looked back up at her with his bright blue eyes that radiated a familiar intensity, "Yeah. I am. I mean, I get it… It makes sense, I guess"

Michonne felt a little relieved with his uncertain approval, "...Yeah"

Carl glanced behind him as he kept an eye out for his sisters, "...Are you going to tell them?"

"...We will", Michonne hated the way she hesitated to respond, but she was indeed hesitant to tell her daughters about her blossoming romance with their father. If Carl hadn't caught her in his father's bed then she would have preferred that he didn't know too soon either, "We... definitely will".

They cleaned up the home as best as they could but somethings were unsalvageable. Judith's room was the only one that went untouched, so she was able to go straight to bed after Michonne made a pathetic meal of pasta and homemade tomato sauce for dinner. The older children retired early too since no one was in the mood to sit up and talk.

She only learned that Rick had returned home when she stepped out of the bathroom later that evening and saw him coming down the hall with a lazy, gait. He slowed when he saw her, and she instinctively closed the top of her robe, which led him to raise an eyebrow at her. She had a lot of things to get used to. He pushed the door to his bedroom open and tipped his head to the side, signaling for her to follow as he muttered, "Come on"

She made the five-second journey to his room and saw that he was standing by the door, obviously waiting to close it behind her. She passed him, "...How did it go?"

He closed the door, "...I had to let her know what happened. All of it."

Michonne watched him closely, "And what did she say?"

His jawline grew prominent as he clenched his teeth together, his hands on beginning to work on his belt buckle, "...The same thang that everyone else is thinking; How I got us all into this mess"

She frowned at his statement, "Did you tell her the truth? That we all agreed to do this"

It seemed as if he had smirked but there wasn't even a hint of a smile on his face, "There you go again… trying to spread the blame"

"Because it doesn't all fall on you, Rick", She issued a little sternly, but he simply unbuttoned his shirt without saying a word. She felt silly standing there, watching him get undressed, so she headed back to the door.

"Where you going?", He looked back at her with an eyebrow raised.

She pointed towards the door, "To go and get changed"

Rick threw his shirt at the foot of the bed with one hand while the other caught her by the string of her robe, "No point in that"

He tugged her into his personal space and pressed his lips against hers before she could object. It was a sloppy kiss, a sign of what was to come. He held her to him by her waist when she slapped her hands on his pecks, trying to slow him down but any resistance she exhibited only spurred him on.

She wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to admit it but his touch made her weak in the knees. He had the perfect amount of passion, affection, and aggression in his moves and it made her melt.

He threw the lower part of her robe out of the way, grabbed a handful of her bare ass and squeezed it hard enough for her to gasp into his mouth. She almost moaned when he pushed his hand further between her cheeks and brushed her entrance with his fingertips.

"Take it off", He demanded, pulling away from her as he unbuttoned his jeans.

Michonne felt so hot under his dark gaze that she dropped her robe to the floor without a second thought. His eyes cascaded down her body while he bit his lower lip. All she could think was that she wanted to be the one to bite it.

"On the bed"

She obliged, opting to lie in the center of the bed this time. She saw his long, thick member spring free from his boxers and the space between her legs glittered with excitement. There was no denying that she found him attractive before, but after learning just what kind of lover he was, she was sold. He climbed on the bed, pulled her legs apart and shamelessly leered at her heat.

He ran his hand up her slit, pushing apart her lips and exposing her pearl from beneath its hood. Her legs automatically quivered, and she saw a devilish little smile flash across his face. He kept one hand on her thigh to keep her parted while he used his other hand to play with her; circling his finger around her bud then pressing it like a button. Michonne couldn't understand what kind of sick, torturous game he had in mind, but when he lowered his head and latched on to her heat with his mouth, she quickly decided that she would have preferred the game instead.

He began to suck on her, _hard_ , using his tongue to ripple against her most delicate part. Every nerve in her body came alive. She threaded her hair through his curls as she shuddered, trying to get to grips with the sensational feeling that overwhelmed her. She purred his name, "Oh Rick!"

He hummed against her, sending vibrations dancing up and down her core. Her eyes rolled back into her head and stayed there. He massaged her inner thigh while his other hand crept up to her breast; his fingers clamped on her nipple. He tugged it and rolled it in his digits like it were a marble. She clasped her hand over his. Too many things were happening to her and she couldn't focus.

He kept at her. His tongue lapped at her pearl with the utmost skill. She could feel a familiar tension building in her crotch but he released her before she could erupt. He sat up licking his lips and combing back a few unruly strands of hair. Any chance of recovery was stolen from her; he pulled her closer to him by her thighs and swiftly entered her wetness. Her walls stretched to accommodate him while he placed both of her legs on his shoulders. She was sure that she had all of him inside her already, but she was treated to even more of his length when he leaned over her and rested each of his hands on either side of her head.

He began to rock himself against her and she felt it all, every vein and curve of his member. It was when she had grabbed hold of his biceps that she realized she was trapped beneath him in a very compromising position. When the time came that she could no longer hold up her legs, she wouldn't be able to lower them and he'd still have the access to do whatever he pleased.

And it was as if he read her mind, as seconds after his plan had dawned on her, he steadily began pumping into her core. A guttural moan rolled from her lips as her mind drew a blank. He was hitting every nerve that mattered.

"...I really wanna' cum inside you again", He declared in his rocky tone as he lowered himself onto his forearms. She was well and truly trapped then. His cloudy blue eyes locked with hers, "You gonna' let me?"

He threw his hips against hers and she cried out, "God, yes!"

" _Yeah_?", He kept thrusting; hard and deep.

She grabbed for the sheets beneath them as she answered in time with his thrusts, "Yes-yes-yes-yes!"

Her orgasm taunted her in the distance, letting her know that it was going to hit her with unimaginable strength. She somehow had time to wonder if this would be how her day ended from that point onwards. She didn't think that they would be having sex so soon after the first time because she was still getting used to being intimate again. She hoped that it was something that they would ease into but Rick had all the patience and grace of a bulldozer.

She was crippled by her orgasm after an eternity of mind-numbing strokes. She tore the sheets one way and another as her core exploded with groundbreaking intensity. It was magical, so much so that her skin tingled all over. She thought Rick was going to cut her some slack while she soared to her peak but she was mistaken. All he did was allow her to lower one of her legs but kept the other firmly in pace as he surged inside her. He thrust at her like a high-speed piston, forcing her to stumble through one orgasm and prepare for another.

"Uh- Fuck- Rick!", She hissed, trying to put her hand on his chest to slow him down a second time.

He pinned her hand away from him as he nipped and pecked at her neck, "I'm not done with you yet"

She was starting to think that it was her orgasm that he enjoyed the most. He shoved his length in and out of her with that never-ending stamina she'd grown to love and loathe until she felt the first jerk of his release. Primal grunts rang out in her ear as his hips came to a rolling stop. She felt every single twinge of that his shaft made, letting her know that he was pumping out one hell of a load.

She recognized that It was highly irresponsible of both of them to behave so carelessly when it came to protection, and she couldn't care less when he was inside of her, but as soon as he withdrew his length she voiced her concern, "Don't do that again"

He lifted his head full of damp curls and eyed her, "What?"

"Finish inside of me", She was still panting as she made her order, "Don't"

His light brows knitted together to show his confusion, "Where then?"

She was dumbfounded by his response, "Anywhere else but there. Just pull it out"

"...I ain't ever done that before", He smirked. His eyes trailed all over her face, "You should know that first hand"

A small, faint smile appeared on her face, "Very funny."

He bit his lip as he beamed at her, "You remember those two _painfully_ long minutes?"

She looked away from him as he smile widened, "Oh stop"

"Hey, look at me", He issued tenderly, "I wanna' see you smile, especially if it's because of me"

Michonne's cheeks warmed as she started to feel bashful, "Yeah, well… let me get some clothes so we don't have a repeat of this morning…"

Rick slowly sat up, "Alright. I'm waiting."

He peeled off of her, which allowed her to climb off the bed and grab her robe. She felt like a newborn foal trying to get used to her legs when she stood up. Embarrassed, she hurried out the room and into the hallway, which proved to be a mistake as she walked right into Colette.

Michonne grabbed her robe by the lapels and pulled it tighter around her body, "Hey h-honey, what's wrong, where are you going?"

"Going to the bathroom? What are you doing up here…", Colette frowned at first, but then her eyes shot from her mother to the bedroom door, and then back to her mother. Michonne could almost see the cogs turning in mind as she tried to work out what her mother was doing without having to ask. Then she saw it. It had dawned on her that her dear mother was sneaking out of her father's bedroom in the dead of the night, wearing just a robe. Colette immediately threw up her hand, as if she were trying to physically stop her comprehension from hitting her, "Oh my God- wait, _what_?".


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen:

It didn't come as a surprise to Rick that Michonne wanted to sleep in her own bed after being caught by the more animated twin daughter of theirs. Fortunately, he didn't see her reaction for himself but he heard the gagging sounds she made before disappearing into the bathroom. Michonne didn't give him much of an option after that, so he spent most of the night on his own until the morning came, then he crept downstairs for a cuddle.

While he understood that they had no choice but to tell the children what was going on between them, he didn't understand how sleeping separately would help anyone. He didn't like that. As far as he was concerned, he now had the option of waking up in morning with Michonne in his arms and that was what he wanted. He didn't want to miss those first few precious moments where she'd wake up and be uncharacteristically mean by tugging the sheets over her head and scooting away from him. Rick found that too adorable to pass up, and that morning wouldn't be any different because as soon as he slid into her bed, she growled at him.

He ignored her, captured her by her waist and pulled her against him. He was sure she muttered something at him but he was too busy checking over her head to see that her katana wasn't within reach. He didn't doubt that 'morning Michonne' would have no issue using it to fend him off.

They were due to face a lot of things that day, but the very first hurdle would be Colette, Elodie, and Carl. He would count Judith too but his sweet little girl was still too young, and simply didn't care for topics that didn't surround her. Rick was sure that he was prepared for it, though he couldn't say the same about Michonne. She seemed to tense up when it came to the kids as if she was so eager to do the right thing that her body wouldn't relax until she did. It was another thing that he found adorable about her.

With that in mind he had planned to get them both out of bed so that they could be dressed and ready to talk when the children finally unearthed themselves from their beds, but when Michonne moaned at him for trying to move her, Rick's body betrayed him. He had accepted that he was a very weak man when it came to her. She didn't have to do much to get his full attention and he hoped that when the day came that she finally figured that out too, she'd use her powers for good.

After some heaving petting between her legs and rasping a few ungentlemanly things in her ear, he had managed to coerce her to mount him. It was the perfect setting for such a position; the sun rays were spilling into her room through the window so he was able to see every inch of her. Between the way she bit her lip to keep quiet and the way she swiveled her hips on top of his groin, Rick was in heaven. He grew so greedy while watching her that his eyes darted from her face to her pert little breast, then to the space between her legs where he could see himself disappearing within her. It was easily the most magical thing he'd ever seen in his life.

He selfishly grabbed a handful of her ass while his other hand clamped around her narrow waist, "Come'ere"

She obliged, falling onto his chest and subsequently into a sloppy kiss. Rick had learned the previous night that if he shoved his tongue into her mouth then she'd suck it between her full, luscious lips, and his member would ache from jealousy.

He brought his knees up and planted his feet firmly on the mattress as he asked her, "You gonna' meet me halfway?"

She hummed something while Rick raised her hips in the air.

"I said", He spoke roughly, "Meet me halfway"

Her eyes finally sprung open when he thrust himself into her. He did it again, and again, until she finally worked out what he meant, then she began lowering herself in time to meet him halfway. Even though it was Rick's suggestion, it absolutely blew his mind to work in such rhythm. One of his hands refused to release her ass and he groped her flesh voraciously. He just knew that it would giggle whenever he shoved himself inside of her and he so desperately wished there was a mirror on the ceiling so that he could see for himself.

They kept it up for quite some time before he finally saw the signs of her impending orgasm. She met his thrusts more feverishly until she was virtually slamming her perfect ass against his hips, which fuelled Rick to ram into her even harder. He wouldn't feel right meeting his end before her but it seemed like that would be the case.

Little high pitched cries rolled from her lips as she leaned on her forearms on either side of his head. He tightened his hold on her waist to slow her down, "...I wanna' make you drip again"

He didn't have time to hear if she would oppose. His shaft was ready to explode so he held her still and began plunging in and out of her in with such need that he heard her take in a breath sharply. She grabbed hold of his shoulder and bit her lip again as she started to unravel, and he loved every second of it. He'd feel her legs quivering first, then her back would arch and allow him better access to her core. It was as if she was completely offering herself to him in her dazed state. Then he finally felt it; Her vice grip. The way she clenched and unclenched made Rick drool and his pleasure was intensified by the stream of passion that followed.

"Good girl", He growled in her ear as he continued to pummel her, but not for long as his own release caught him by the balls, and he finished with a guttural grunt, "Ugh¬"

"No! No!", Michonne hissed as she tried to pull herself off him, "Pull it out!"

Rick felt the cold tickle his member as she lifted her ass in the air, all while he was still expelling his goods, "Jesus Christ, Michonne!"

"You were meant to pull it out!", She scolded him as she crawled back onto the mattress.

Rick's response was delayed and befuddled as he tried to understand just what he had agreed to, "...Huh?"

Michonne gave him that look again. He saw it the previous night. She thought he was an idiot, "We aren't using anything, Rick so you that means that you can't do that inside of me. I am not getting pregnant again."

Rick was taken aback by that, mostly because they had already had unprotected sex but also because she spoke so bitterly.

"Oh my God", She huffed as she pushed her dreads back from her face, "We need to get dressed"

"Wait, hold on a second", He sat up on the bed and his poor worn out length fell between his legs, "What was that?"

"What was what?", She started to inch towards the edge of the bed but he grabbed her wrist.

" _That_. Why'd you say that like that for?", He frowned at her as his panting subsided, "Is there somethan' I should know?"

She became defensive right before his eyes and tried to yank her hand away from him but he was stronger, "It's common sense. Look what's happening right now? Does it seem like a good time to be pregnant?"

"I don't have a problem understanding that, but that's not what I asked you. I asked why you say it like that for?", He repeated a little more sternly, "Like it's somethan' that's off the cards _entirely_?"

Michonne looked him dead in the eye when she said, "Because it is. For me it is. Certainly not now but not in the future either"

"Yeah?", He raised his eyebrow at her, "And when were you planning on mentioning that small detail?"

"If it came up", She replied in a tone that suggested it was the obvious answer, "Why? Is that a deal breaker for you?"

"No.", He shot back easily, "But I'd at least like to know why it is you felt that way, or what happened to make you write the idea off completely?"

She didn't answer him immediately. Instead, she gave him that defiant stare that Colette had inherited. She finally replied, "Because I can't have any more children. I can get pregnant, but they won't survive."

Rick rolled his eyes shut as he looked away from her, "...I wouldn't want you to tell me somethan' like that this way"

"You asked, I answered", She tugged her wrist out of his hold, "So there."

"No, not ' _so there_ ', Michonne", He looked back at her angrily, "I want to talk to you about this properly. Not like this."

She kept her back to him as she snatched her robe off the foot of the bed.

Rick raked his fingers through his hair out of frustration as he threw his legs over the bed, "It's like we take one step forward and eight steps back"

She spun back around to look at him as she pulled the robe over her shoulders, "Well what do you expect? You poke and you probe and you demand answers¬"

"Because if I don't ask then you won't tell me anythan', Michonne. _Everythan_ ' I know about you has come from me asking you¬"

"You want me to just start volunteering information about myself to you?"

"Yes!", He stood up and faced her in all his naked glory, "Why is that so _hard_ to understand? I want to know more about you- Hell, I wanna' know everythan' about you! I thought I made that clear?"

Her dark brown pupils fell to his lower half, "Put some pants on."

He narrowed his eyes at her, "Why? Does this make you uncomfortable all of a sudden?"

"Stop. It"

"If anythan' I think you're more acquainted with him than you are me", He grabbed his pants from under the sheets as he made his snide comments, "He probably knows you better than I do at this point"

Michonne folded her arms over her chest once she finished tying her robe.

"I don't get it…", He vented while yanking his pants up, "I saw it yesterday too; You saw me in the hall and you closed that damn robe of yours like I haven't already seen everythan', like we hadn't already had sex¬"

"It was a reflex, Rick", She stressed, "I'm still getting used to what's going on here and I thought we'd be taking things a little slow at first"

He blinked at her, "We have been taking things slow, Michonne"

She gave him the most incredulous look, "When? At what stage did we take things slow? We've slept together three times in the last forty-eight hours! And in between that we've spoken a handful of times"

Rick bit his tongue. He knew that whatever response he gave her would lead to her looking at him like an idiot again.

"Look", She smoothed her hair back as she tried to calm herself, "I know what I signed up for with you and I've accepted that but we need to just… reel it back in. Take it one step at a time."

"What does that mean?", His brows formed a straight line.

"It means that we take it one step at a time", She repeated dryly, "We can only learn so much about each other through sex"

He raised an eyebrow at her again, "You know what? That may very well be true, but If you think I'm gonna' pass up the opportunity to get close to you like that then I'm afraid that I won't. I do want to learn as much as I can about you and If we decide to make sharing thangs with each other a priority from here on out then I'm happy with that, but I like touching you. And I'm certain that you like it too¬"

She gave him a very unimpressed look, "Stop."

"Am I mistaken? You don't like it?", He cocked his head to the side as his gaze cascaded down the length of her and crawled back up to her eyes, "So if I were to come over there right now and¬"

Michonne swiftly began stepping towards the door, "I'm going to have a shower"

He smirked to himself as he watched her leave the room, "That's what I thought."

Things between he and Michonne weren't going the way he hoped he would. He'd pictured being with her to be utter bliss; he thought that they'd tell the children and they'd all be on board with the pairing and that they'd continue to act as a unit. He thought he'd have her at his side and they'd nurture and love each other without a shadow of a doubt. He also thought they'd touch on the topic of their future together, and they'd share the milestones they wanted to reach in their relationship, like marriage and the possibility of more children. He realized that he was wrong.

He had to dig deeper with her. He had to ask more questions, and he needed to make her feel comfortable enough to answer those questions. He considered himself to be more of an open book since he often wore his heart on his sleeve, and he was willing to let her know whatever she wanted because he did want to share with her, but she was proving to be the complete opposite of him and he had to figure out other ways to draw her in because she was still keeping him at arms length. What she'd told him about her inability to carry children played on his mind until it was time for him to gather his family together, then he was forced to tuck it away for later.

He studied the faces of the people sat around his dining table while wondering if he was the only one who felt a little awkward. He didn't think that we would but once again, he was wrong. There was no mistaking that his son felt the same. He could see that from a mile away because Carl had a tendency to shrink when he was uncomfortable, and the boy looked so small in his seat that Rick half expected him to completely sink under the table and slither back to his room.

On the opposite side of him was Elodie, who was silently observing everyone too. Her eyes shot from one person to the other, as if she were trying to figure out what was happening before anyone actually said anything.

Rick couldn't tell what Colette was possible thinking because she had that dreaded sweatshirt on, and the drawstring was pulled so tight that only her button nose poked through the hood. He could appreciate the fact that she at least allowed herself to breath the same air as everyone else.

And then there was Judith, who was peering up at him with her glittering brown eyes as she cooed, "Dad-dee…"

"Hi sweetie", He cooed back while smoothing her soft curls back from her face.

"...So?", Michonne began from the opposite end of the table. She gave Rick a look that suggested he began first. He was certain that she was the most uncomfortable out of everyone.

"Yeah, so…", He placed both arms on the table and looked at his three older children, "I think two out of three of you already know what this is about…"

He heard Colette groan from inside her hood, while Carl squirmed in his seat. Elodie looked back and forth, from one sibling to another, "...Did I?… Did I miss something? What's going on?"

"...Well uh", Rick narrowed his eyes as he tried to think of a way to answer her.

"Are you guys doing stuff without me?", Elodie eyed her sister suspiciously, while Colette opted to respond by shuddering.

Michonne began to rub her temples again while Rick released a deep sigh, "Your mother and I are… trying somethan' out here…"

Elodie looked at him strangely while Colette mumbled something along the lines of, "God, just kill me now"

Elodie spun head back around to look at her mother, "Uh.. Wait- what?"

Michonne opened her mouth to say something but Colette leaned over and whispered something in her sister's ear that Rick didn't catch but Michonne did, and her eyes widened as she hissed, " _Colette_!"

Her daughter threw her hand up to show her innocence, "What? Isn't that what premarital means?"

"Oh…", Elodie lowered her gaze, "I feel uncomfortable"

Rick released another sigh as he scratched his brow, "Uh¬"

"We just wanted to see how you all felt about the possibility of…", Michonne waved her hand back and forth to signal herself and Rick, "This. We know that things already started off a little… unconventional here so… we just want to be able to talk about these things so that no one feels… uncomfortable"

"Yeah. That.", Rick nodded his head in agreement as he looked at his children who could voice their opinion. His son still hadn't said anything, so he probed lightly, "Carl?"

Carl looked up at him, then the others then lowered his gaze, "...I don't know? I mean… Okay?"

Rick stared at the boy for a moment before nodding again, "Alright."

"Do we really have to give feedback about this?", Elodie asked quietly, "Is that really necessary?"

"It's not _feedback_ ", Michonne retorted dryly as she looked from one daughter to the other, "Just an opportunity for you to voice any worries you have"

Colette threw her head back as she groaned for a countless time, while Elodie peered at her parents through narrowed eyes, "...I just don't want it to be...weird…"

Michonne and Rick both perked up as they were finally presented with a question they could answer. Rick took the lead, "It probably will be a little weird at first as we all get used to this but it doesn't change anythan' here. We're all still a family at the end of the day and we'll always care about how you guys feel"

"That definitely won't change", Michonne capped off.

Elodie looked at them strangely again, "...I meant weird as in…you guys aren't gonna' be like…getting weird in front of us or anything"

Rick bowed his head while Michonne threw her hands up in exasperation. Colette sat up straight, "I think we can all agree that that is something we'd rather not witness"

Carl and Elodie both nodded their heads in agreement.

"See? So can we go now?", Colette loosened the drawstring of her hoody so that they were blessed to see at least one of her eyes, "We know nothing's changing and we're still a family, but this? Sitting here talking about it? This is the kind of stuff that makes me want to run away"

Michonne gave Rick a highly unimpressed look, while he held back the urge to laugh at all of his children's amateur dramatics, "Fine, you're all free to¬"

Chair's scraped the floor as all three children evacuated the table at maximum speed, leaving Rick to sit back in astonishment. Judith raised her hands in the air as her face crumbled, showing how desperate she was to follow her siblings, and Rick was about to tend to her when Elodie came back around the table and freed her from her highchair, "Sorry, Judy"

And just like that, Rick and Michonne were left at the table to face only each other. She began rubbing her temples again, "That went just as I thought it would"

He smirked as he thought about it, "...I guess we should have expected that, but at least they weren't really against it. Just against any public displays of affection…"

"Unsurprising."

Rick sat forward as he looked at her, "...I'm gonna' head out soon. Maybe tomorrow. We need food, supplies… Weapons"

Michonne eyed him for a few moments, "Fine. I'll go with you."

"I don't want you too. I need you here", He insisted truthfully, "You're one of the very few people that I have left that I trust, and I'd feel better about leaving this place if I knew that you were here"

She averted her gaze as she replied, "Fine."

He watched her closely, tempted to ask why she replied the way she did but a knock at the door caught both of their attention. He groaned as he stood up to answer it. He knew that he'd have to venture outside his home at some point but he wanted just a little more undisturbed time with his family.

"Good morning, Rick", Jesus greeted somewhat cheerfully when he opened the front door, "I think you and I need to talk."

Rick glanced at Aaron, who was stood behind Jesus, then rolled his shoulders as he sighed, "Get in"

He could honestly admit that he didn't mind Jesus too much. He did think he had the ability to be a little too sneaky for Rick's liking but he did believe that the man had good intentions more than anything else. He let him in his home under the guise that he wanted updates about their dealings with Negan since their attack in the woods, but he soon learned that he was wrong.

"Another community?", Rick repeated Jesus's last words back to him as they sat around the dining table, "You kept that pretty quiet?"

Jesus shrugged, "I had all intentions of telling you when I got the chance"

"That's the second time I've heard somethan' like that today", Rick muttered as he rolled his eyes, which earned him a very pointed look from Michonne. He brushed it off, "Who's running that place?"

"...King Ezekiel", Jesus answered with a little embarrassment, "He's… He's an eccentric man but no different to any of us. He wants the same things as us for his people. They have a strong community of almost one hundred people and… they've also had problems with Negan"

Rick appeared perplexed, "Is that so?"

"Yeah…", The embarrassed look that Jesus wore only intensified, "But they've kind of taken the same approach as us…And only a few people at the Kingdom actually know what's going on"

Rick slowly blinked at him, "Remind me again why you're telling me this?"

"Because I was hoping that maybe you can say something to him. Something to make him see that we could entertain the idea of fighting back…"

Rick sat back in his chair as he thought about that, while Michonne asked, "Where are they?"

"About two-hundred miles west", Jesus explained, "We can leave now but we might have to stay the night¬"

"We're not going anywhere today. We've got a lot of cleaning up to do around here", Rick shot down the offer without having to move many muscles in his face.

"But we can tomorrow", Michonne added nonchalantly, "If it's two-hundred miles away then we're bound to pass a few places on the way. Jesus can stay the night and we'll leave early"

Jesus and Aaron peered from one end of the table to the other, as if they were trying to work out just who was making the decisions. Rick ignored them as he countered, "We don't need a lot of people to go over there"

"To see a new community? You definitely need a few.", She shrugged, "And Negan doesn't plan to come back here for another week¬"

"What about the kids?"

She tilted her head at him, "They're all responsible enough to be left alone for one night. Elodie hasn't stopped taking care of Judith since we moved in here. She's with her more than _you_ are."

He frowned at the statement, even though it was very true.

"So it's settled. We'll go tomorrow", She summarized as she looked at Jesus and Aaron.

Both men shifted their eyes to Rick, who exhaled tiredly, "You heard her."

He realized just what that look Michonne gave him earlier meant. He couldn't fault her sense of responsibility, and it was incredibly enduring to him, but he just didn't feel comfortable leaving the community without having someone that he trusted to keep an eye on things, and it was clear why.

When they all finally left his home to see what needed to be tended to in the community, he picked up on a few scornful looks from residents here and there. They would hurriedly avert their eyes somewhere else when he caught them, but he had most definitely caught them. It made him wonder if any of them had the gall to stand up to him about recent events, but he doubted it. Most of them couldn't protect themselves from half of a walker, let alone him. He was sure Carl wouldn't have a problem taking any of them down either. He just didn't have time for their frustrations since he had done so much to protect their homes, even when they were cowering away inside them, and seeing Negan should have been a reminder to them that they could have gotten a more deranged person to run Alexandria.

He knew that if Deanna was still in charge, then things certainly would have ended up a lot worse. The older woman wasn't even in the right frame of mind to leave her home.

Most spent the day clearing up the community. Rick checked out the infirmary, pantry, and armory again so he could have a better idea of just how much they needed, and he was ashamed to say that they were running low on everything. He still didn't have any idea where most of the weapons had gone and he didn't even know where to start looking for them since none of his own people would take them without running it by him first and the Alexandrians would be too fearful to even try. It nagged him until one person, in particular, crossed his mind and he realized he did have an idea where they could be, but It was still another problem to add to an ever-growing list.

Michonne left him that night to go on watch. He wondered if she took the opportunity so she could brush up on her shooting, which was something that Abraham promised to do with her. He decided to wait up for her since he did wish to speak to her about their earlier discussions since they hadn't completely left his mind. He still had questions that needed answering, and it was while he was stood by the kitchen sink after getting a glass of water in the dead of the night that he heard footsteps trickling down the stairs. He stayed still, as the person was purposely tiptoeing, and nobody in the household ever did that.

To his surprise it was Elodie, wearing her tennis shoes, a pair of jeans and another godforsaken sweatshirt as she tried to make a beeline towards the front door. Rick cleared his throat rather loudly as he moved away from the sink, causing her to spin around in a fright.

"Can't sleep?", He asked lightly as he began stepping towards her.

Her eyes were wide and alert as she shook her head, "Huh? Uh, yeah, I just… just wanted some fresh air… I wanted to sit out on the porch for a little while"

"Yeah?", Rick immediately sensed that she was lying, "Well I'll join you. It's nice out."

She raised her hands to stop him, "Oh, no, you don't have to… I mean… I just needed a little alone time"

"That's fine", Rick stopped directly in front of her so that he could look her in the eye, "I didn't feel like talking much either so we can just sit there in silence"

Elodie was either frozen in fear or her brain had stopped working; either way, she just stared back at him like a deer caught off guard by headlights. Even in his moonlit home he could see something different about her; She usually wore her hair in a ponytail but that night she let her curls hang freely around her shoulders, and they were much neater than he'd previously seen.

Rick lowered his voice as he cut to the chase, "If I were to go outside right now… Would I see Ron Anderson out there?"

Elodie didn't even attempt to part her lips. She just stared at him.

Rick slowly nodded as he looked towards the front door, "Alright, let me see for myself¬"

"No, no, no, no!", Elodie hissed as she threw out her hands to stop him, "He is out there- He's waiting for me- I'm so sorry for lying, I don't usually do it because Colette said I'm _really_ bad at it¬"

"What's Ron Anderson doing out there?", Rick asked in a firm tone.

She shrunk and cringed, "...Waiting for me…"

"Why's he waiting for you?"

"...Because he said that he's got something to show me…"

Rick's eyes almost bulged out of his head. He began patting his belt for his pistol, "Get back upstairs now¬"

"Wait- what are you doing?", Elodie asked in a panic as she followed the hurried movements of his hands.

"He said he's got _somethan' to show you_ , huh? Did he mention what that was?", Rick questioned as he looked back to the kitchen for his weapon.

"No, but we were talking about comic books and… I think that's what he meant? I'm not sure but what are you looking for?", Elodie's voice grew shriek, "You're not going to hurt him, are you?"

Rick looked back down at her with angry eyes, "What are you doing hanging around with him in the first place? When did that start? Have you snuck out to see him before?"

"No, no, no", She shook her head innocently, "This is the first time… I was too afraid to before"

"So he's asked you to do this before?", Rick desperately tried to remember the last place he put his gun, "And I take it that you haven't said anythan' to me or your mother because you know it that ain't somethan' that either of us would ever allow"

"I know…", She squirmed as she dropped her gaze, "But I didn't say anything to be sneaky... It's just… I didn't want to upset Colette so I stopped hanging out with him like we used to. I think we all thought that she'd be the first one to get a boyfriend but… with her arm… I just- I just don't want to make her feel like… like she's any less than she was before… She's still the prettier one and the funny one and the outgoing one so… I just don't want to hurt her"

Rick stopped his frantic search to look at her, and his heart almost fell apart when he saw how concerned she was for her twin. He reached out and held her arm, "I don't wanna' hear you say anythan' like that again. You're both beautiful, and you're both very funny, and yeah she's probably a little more adventurous but even twins can do thangs a little differently. You're not always gonna' behave the exact same way and I think it's actually very nice that you both have your differences, it's what makes you girls special in your own right"

She peered up at him as her shoulders slouched, "Thanks"

"That's alright", He tipped his head forward as he spoke a little softly, "But I need you to understand somethan'; You do not have a boyfriend."

She furrowed her dark eyebrows at him, "...Uh¬"

"No. You don't. I don't care what Ron Anderson said the two of you are, I am telling you that you do not have a boyfriend and you are not his girlfriend. You do not need a boyfriend. You have your family, and that's all that matters and that's all you need to focus on.", Rick tried to make his warning gentle, "Now you can consider him as a close friend- that I'm okay with, but anythan' else needs my permission, and before you even ask; no, I do not give my permission"

Elodie narrowed her eyes at him, "But¬"

"No. Never.", He shook his head at her, "Now I would like for you to go upstairs and get to bed. I'll let Ron know that you won't be joining him tonight, alright?"

Her shoulders slouched even more, "Alright… Are you going to tell my¬"

"Without a doubt."

She made a little sound that sounded like a cross between whimper and groan, "...Are you mad at me?"

"No. I'm not mad", He gave her shoulder a little squeeze, "If you had made it out that door, then I would have been mad"

"...Fair enough", She swiftly turned on the balls of her feet, "Goodnight, dad"

"Goodnight, Elodie"

Rick managed to hide his simmering rage well as he watched her skip back up the stairs, but as soon as she was out of sight he marched back towards the kitchen and continued his frantic search for his weapon while trying to remember when he last held it. When that search was fruitless, he marched over to the living area and saw the silver colt python still in its holster on the coffee table. He almost smiled.

With his gun in hand, he stalked through the front door and right into Michonne's path, forcing him to come to a halt. She frowned at his face, then let her eyes fall to his gun, "...What's going on?"

He tapped the barrel against his leg as he looked over to the Andersons home, "Just looking for Ron, you seen him?"

"No.", Her frown intensified, "Why are you looking for Ron?"

"Because he told Elodie to sneak out so he could show her somethan'...", He started to step off the porch, "And we both know what that somethan' is¬"

"Wait", She grabbed his arm, "Repeat that."

"Ron Anderson", He tilted his head to the side as he spoke slower and in more detail, "Told Elodie to sneak out because he wanted to show her somethan' so she was gonna' leave here to meet him a couple of minutes ago. I just stopped her and sent her back up to bed"

Michonne peered up towards the house as she breathed, "Elodie?"

"Yes, Elodie. She was dressed and ready to go", Rick tried to shake her off his arm, "Now if you don't mind¬"

"Wait!", She hissed, tightening her hold on him, "You are not going to go over there and shoot Ron Anderson- He's a kid!"

"I wasn't going to shoot him", Rick reasoned, "I was gonna' show him how it works¬"

"Rick. Stop.", Michonne looked back towards the house again, "I'll talk to her, and maybe I can talk to Jessie¬"

"Do you not see that Ron is the problem here?", It was his turn to frown at her, "He's the person that we need to talk to"

"His mother is the person that needs to talk to him."

"I'm her father. I have a right to protect her, Michonne"

She scoffed at him, "From _Ron_? You think he wouldn't run the other way if he say you coming?"

"From whatever the hell it is that Ron was trying to show her", He growled, "If I shoot it off then we won't have to worry, will we?"

Rick had to wonder what kind of effect Michonne had on him because as soon as he saw her start to laugh his anger seemed to subside almost instantly. She lowered her head as she tried to compose herself, "...I wish you could hear yourself right now"

"This is funny to you?", He cocked his head to the side in order to catch her gaze, "You're teenage daughter was trying to sneak out to see a boy but you're laughing right now?"

"I'm not laughing at that", She corrected, "That will be dealt with. I'm laughing at you. You don't even know what he meant by that, Rick"

"Well, you can stand here laughing and trying to figure out what he meant while I go find Ron¬"

"No. Come on.", She started to climb the porch steps, "This isn't the way to deal with this. Especially when it comes to Elodie."

"Then how?", Rick found himself following her hold.

"Talking, Rick, so save all of that fight for the other battles we have coming up", She insisted calmly, "This is not one of them. You sent her back up to bed and that's all we can do for now, but we will handle that."

Rick whole-heartedly disagreed with her argument but for some strange reason, he just couldn't find the strength to break away from her. He wished he had gone out the back door instead.

"What are you even doing up?", She probed as she shut the front door behind him.

"I was waiting for you", He admitted sourly. Ron Anderson was still on his mind and he knew that he'd have to find a way to get to the teen without Michonne in his way.

She placed herself in front of him as she crossed her arms over her chest, "You wanted to talk about earlier?... Look, I would rather come with you because¬"

"No, not...", He began to shake his head but stopped, "Well, that would have come up eventually but no. I wanted to talk about what you told me about this morning"

Her eyes widened by a small fraction, "Oh."

"Don't do that. I said I wanted to talk about it properly and I don't want you to tell me that kind of stuff out of anger", He said sincerely, "I didn't like that, Michonne."

She sighed as she pulled her sheath from over her head, "Fine. I won't tell you that kind of stuff out of anger"

Rick eyed her suspiciously, "Yeah?"

"Yes. And we will talk about it properly, but not tonight. It's been a long day and we have to get up early tomorrow, so let's just get some rest", She offered peacefully, "Alright?"

Rick's chest rose as he inhaled. She was right since it was very late and they did have to leave early for the Kingdom, but he wanted to speak with her, and more importantly, he wanted to wrap his hands Ron Anderson's throat but he digressed. He could at least take some solace in the fact that she suggested they both got some rest; which suggested to him that she intended on sleeping in the same bed as him. He held his hand out to her and he watched her take it, "Alright".


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: To anyone reading this a second time, there's been changes to this chapter and it's not the same as the original so you might have to re-read this. I'm so sorry but I made a monumental fuck up with this story and it's characters, and if that isn't proof that I'm failing to keep on top of my fics then I don't know what is! I wanted to try and go back to an old pattern of updating regularly again but in doing that I've put quantity over quality and that's shitty. Writing for me is meant to be a fun, stress free hobby but other aspects of my life are draining me so by the time I do get to write, I'm just trying to churn out **_something_** and its just not fun anymore, so I'm going to change my approach because I'm losing the plot (Figuratively and literally speaking lol) so I'm sorry if the updates start to slow down again, but I need to sharpen up. Thank you so much for all the support so far, you angels are amazing and its because of that support that I've kept going, otherwise I would have thrown my laptop out the window a  long time ago lol.

-Bae xo

Chapter Sixteen:

"...I know I shouldn't have even tried to sneak out but I just… I wanted to see him. We used to all hang out together but… after Colette's accident, I knew that she didn't want to anymore… And I can't just leave her here…"

Michonne gave her daughter a warm smile as she sat on the edge of her bed, "I know you wouldn't want to do that, and I think it's very sweet that you're thinking about how she'd feel in all this, but I need you to understand something Elodie, you¬"

"Do not have a boyfriend. I know", Elodie sighed as she sat cross-legged in the center of her bed, "Dad already told me"

Michonne froze for a moment, then shook her head, "I was going to say that you do not, under any circumstances go anywhere without telling anyone, even if it is just across the street. If something happened and we couldn't find you then I'd be beside myself¬"

Elodie gave her mother an apologetic look, "I know and I'm sorry¬"

"I would have lost my mind, Elodie", Michonne warned, "I would have lost my mind and you would be in big trouble. Huge trouble."

Elodie shrank, "I know."

"And I'm sure that Ron is a nice boy and that you two get along great but please don't feel the need to rush into anything. You're still so young.", Michonne stressed lightly, "You don't need to put a label on anything just yet"

"...Weren't you and dad boyfriend and girlfriend when you were our age?", Elodie narrowed her eyes at her mother.

Michonne narrowed her eyes too, " _Exactly_ , and look what happened there? I had two kids when I was still a kid myself¬"

" _And you're life was never the same_ ", Elodie finished dryly, "I know, mom...But we've only held hands"

"And that's enough", Michonne insisted a little sternly, "You don't need to do any more than that because you're only fourteen, or maybe fifteen by now¬ but it doesn't matter because you're still young. Dating and relationships can be a minefield for us adults and it's even more difficult when your still growing because you're hormones are all over the place and one day you think that you might want to kiss him but then kissing leads to¬"

"I'm uncomfortable", Elodie ejected quickly, "Please stop talking"

Michonne rolled her head back as she looked up to the ceiling and muttered to herself, "God, I give up"

"Mom, Colette and I both remember that awkward conversation you had with us about... _Intercourse_ ", Elodie whispered the offending word, "And I think that we'll always remember that conversation as the worst moment in our lives, so you don't have to worry because I'm not ready for that and I don't think Ron is either. We just talk… that's it"

Michonne could tell she was being truthful. Elodie was always the introvert and she knew that her daughter wouldn't risk sneaking out a second time, but it still made her sad to see one of her girls was maturing. She still saw them as her precious babies, after all. She wanted to wrap them in cotton wool and hide them from the rest of the world, but she couldn't. She needed to give them the opportunity to make decisions for themselves. She reached out and cupped Elodie's face with her hand, "You are beautiful, you know that?"

"Dad said that yesterday", Elodie bowed her head bashfully, "He freaked out at first but then he was kind of cool about it"

Laughter almost erupted from Michonne, "I'm so glad that's what you think."

Finding Rick on the front porch with his pistol in hand was surprisingly comical to Michonne, but his reaction was expected. He had already shown her that he was fiercely protective of his children, but watching him stumble into a whole new territory with teenage girls amused her.

She left Elodie in her room and went downstairs to see if Rick was ready to leave. Colette was quite possibly still sleeping while Carl was bumbling around his room, and in spite of her earlier thoughts, the children were getting on as normal in the household. None of them seemed to take issue with she and Rick's new relationship status and that came as a big relief to her because she didn't want anything to change. She liked the dynamic they were forming.

"Pea-ches!", Judith roared from her high chair as she raised to trembling fists in the air, "Da-dee! Pea-ches!"

Michonne watched the toddler with shocked eyes, "Wow…. Somebody's not happy?"

Judith noticed Michonne and immediately pointed to her father as if she wanted back up, "Da-dee!"

"Did daddy do something wrong?", Michonne tried not to laugh as she approached her, but the girls cheeks were red with rage and her dark brows furrowed furiously.

"Da-dee bad!", She replied, looking towards her father with a trembling bottom lip, "Mine!"

Michonne followed her lead and looked at Rick, who was in the kitchen cutting up fruit. She said rather obviously, "...I think she's not happy"

"We're out of peaches, so she has to have apples", He sighed and chucked the knife in the sink, then picked up the plate full of fruit, "Apples and¬"

" _Nooo_!", Judith threw up her hand to stop him from coming any closer to her, "No apple!"

"...She doesn't want the apple", Michonne smirked as she rested both hands on her hips.

"Judith Grimes…", Rick warned as he held the plate high up, trying to avoid her flailing hands, "We don't have any peaches so you have to have¬"

"No!", Judith shot back passionately, "You eat!"

Rick slowly inhaled as he rolled his eyes shut, "Fine, daddy's gonna' eat them all"

Judith gave him the meanest look that her little face could muster as he father picked up a slice and pretended to take a bite.

"Mmm", He hummed, "These are great. Do you want some of Judith's apple's Michonne? She doesn't want them"

"...I would love some apples", Michonne joined him and picked up a slice, "They're my favorite"

"Mine too."

It took exactly thirty seconds for Judith's mean expression to vanish, only to be replaced with a picture of sadness, "No! Mine! My apples!"

"You want them now?", Rick cocked his head to one side as he eyed her, "You gonna' ask for them nicely?"

Her nose wrinkled as she squeaked, "My apples, peas?"

He smiled as he set the plate down in front of her, "That's my girl"

Michonne preferred hearing the little girl yell instead of her own two daughters. Their voices carried further. She turned to face Rick as she asked, "Are you ready?"

"Almost", He crossed his arms over his chest as he glanced towards the staircase, "You talk to her?"

"I did", Michonne nodded, "...And I think it's pretty innocent"

His expression flashed to something dark, " _Innocent_? Sneaking out of the house at night is innocent?"

"No, that is _definitely_ not innocent but this little… the relationship they have is¬"

"They don't have a relationship", He said bluntly, "They don't have anythan'. He's _not_ her boyfriend, and she's _not_ his girlfriend¬"

"You can't control that", She frowned at him, and his expression changed in a second; his eyebrows sprung up and his head tilted to one side.

"You think that I can't?", It was as if he wanted her to dare him.

"There are certain things that you have to let them figure embark on alone, Rick¬", She stopped herself when she heard two sets of heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. Carl came down first and made a beeline for the fridge, and he was followed by Colette.

Rick greeted them cheerfully, "Good morning"

"Morning", Carl muttered back from under his most prized hat. Colette muttered something similar from within the confines of her hood.

"Elodie not coming down?", Rick scrutinized Michonne with his eyes.

"Probably not while we're still in the house. She said I made her uncomfortable", She shrugged, "But she'll be alright"

Rick let his gaze fall down her body, and for a second she thought that he would say something but he remained quiet while Colette asked a muffled question from the kitchen, "Aren't there any peaches left?"

"No. Am afraid they're all done", Rick replied as he side-eyed Judith, "We have apples, though"

"Eugh, I hate apples", Colette growled as she turned towards the fridge and yanked the door open.

"..It's a shame we can't trick her like we tricked Judith", Rick muttered loud enough for Michonne to hear. It was an amusing little joke, but it was his tone that captured her. She blushed when she remembered all the commands he made in bed that morning and how easily she obliged; all because of that deep, rough voice of his. She giggled at his joke in a bid to disguise her wandering thoughts, but all that did was catch her daughter's attention. Colette whipped her head around and eyed her parents suspiciously.

"Ugh", She groaned as she closed the fridge door and began to march back out the kitchen, "I'm taking a shower so nobody use the upstairs bathroom because I called it first"

Michonne rolled her eyes at her daughter's dramatics while Carl announced, "There are only two apples left"

"I know. We're going on a run today so hopefully we come back with some more stuff", Rick informed in a flat tone, "Eat one and save one for someone else"

"I'll take one", Michonne called, indicating for him to throw it to her, "Pass it"

Carl took the other apple from the bowl on the counter then threw it through the air, and it came dangerously close to hitting his sister in the head but Michonne caught it just in time with one hand. Rick gave his son a pointed look, "I can't believe that even I have to say this but don't throw fruit at or near your sister"

"You've never said that before?", Michonne raised her eyebrow at him as she made a joke, "I used to say that daily"

Carl chuckled quietly as he began making his breakfast and Michonne was delighted. She wanted to make a conscious effort to build a bond with him like everyone else had already done in the home. Even though he hadn't made a fuss about his father's new relationship with her, she was worried that he secretly took the news the hardest.

She snuck out of the home when Rick started to inform his son about what they had planned for the day. She would have let him know that she was going over to the Andersons house if he hadn't behaved like a madman the night before, and knowing that he'd had shared some kind of romance with Jessie Anderson in the past, would have made the encounter more awkward than it needed to be.

She knocked on the blue front door twice before she finally got an answer. Jessie appeared flustered in the doorway, holding her rose pink robe tight to her body, "Um... _Michonne_? Hi? Is everything alright?"

"Fine", Michonne kept her tone friendly, "I hope this isn't a bad time but I needed to talk to you about something that happened last night with our kids. Specifically, Elodie and Ron"

Jessie's appeared dumbfounded as she opened the door wider, "Elodie and Ron? Last night? What happened?"

"Well, Rick caught Elodie trying to sneak out last night", She explained, "She was planning on meeting Ron. They have a little thing going on."

Jessie's mouth fell agape, " _Oh_ "

"Yeah. I talked with Elodie and she's assured me that everything is innocent between them, and you see… Rick and I-", Michonne stopped and corrected herself, " _I_ feel as though we need to make it clear that that sort of thing is not okay¬"

"Of course not", Jessie's honey blonde ponytail swung from side to side as she shook her head, "I definitely agree, and I will be talking to Ron about this because I don't like the idea of him sneaking around anywhere"

"Yeah… But I don't see a problem with them spending time together", Michonne added, "Preferably with an adult nearby"

"Yeah, of course. I mean she's free to hang out over here", Jessie insisted, "After I talk to Ron and set up some new ground rules"

"And Ron would be more than welcome to come over to the house, too", Michonne lied. She knew that he wouldn't be welcomed at all, and stepping into Rick's home would most certainly ensure his demise but she wanted to be polite, "Maybe we can catch up when we get back and you've talked to him¬"

"Sure. That's no problem, I get it. Teenagers…", Jessie rolled her eyes, "We have to keep an eye on them…To tell you the truth, I'm actually surprised that Rick's not over here with you"

Michonne sighed as she glanced back towards her own home. Jesus and Aaron were already on route to her front door, which meant it was time to wrap their conversation up, "I thought it would be a better idea if we spoke about this"

Jessie began to nod her head, "Oh. Okay¬"

"Jessie? Where are you?"

Both women stared at each other when they heard the man's voice. It wasn't a voice that Michonne recognized. Jessie opened her mouth to say something but Michonne spoke first, "...I'll leave you to it. Thanks"

Jesus and Aaron were lingering on the front porch when she arrived back at her home so she greeted them both with a friendly smile as she climbed the steps, "Morning"

They both greeted her the same in return. Jesus, tilted his head to the front door, "Are we all set?"

"Should be", She let herself inside just as Rick was about to leave.

She ignored the frown that he sent her way and stepped around him, while Elodie came skipping down the stairs. Michonne caught her daughters eye before she stepped into the living area and gave her a subtle look that indicated that she needed to follow her.

"I don't want you going over to the Andersons while we're gone", Michonne issued quietly as she pulled on a denim jacket with a wool collar, "I think we need to have a talk about this properly with you and Ron. _Together_ "

Elodie's electric blue eyes came to life, and she began to shift around uncomfortably under her mother's gaze, "That makes me uncomfortable... but okay?"

"It shouldn't.", Michonne grabbed her sheath and backpack off the coffee table, "And don't do anything crazy while we're gone"

"I know, mom", Elodie chirped as she eyed her Mother's outwear, "...That jacket looks nice on you"

"Thank you", Michonne smiled, "It's your sisters"

"I noticed", Elodie lowered her head and let her mother place two kisses on her forehead. If for whatever reason only one of her daughters were around when she was about to leave, then she'd give the present girl two kisses; one for each of them.

She said her goodbyes to Carl and Judith then left with the three men. She found out that Rosita would be joining them when they arrived at the gate, along with a man named Scott; someone Michonne had seen around the community but never actually spoke to.

Bearing in mind that they would be searching for food and weapons throughout their journey, Michonne suggested that they took the old white truck that Rick had found when he first met Jesus. If they were fortunate enough to find a big bounty a second time then they had to be able to transport it home. Rick agreed, so they the two of them followed behind the others in their Sedan, and it was shortly into their drive that Michonne realized that he had other reasons to agree to take the truck separately, "Where'd you sneak off to this morning?"

Michonne frowned at the windshield, "To the Andersons. I spoke with Jessie."

She could tell that he was looking at her when he said, "You went off and did that? Without me?"

"Yes, I did. I didn't think it would be a good idea if you came along since you wanted to shoot him last night, Rick", She reminded dryly, "I told you that I think we need to approach this reasonably¬"

"And what did Jessie have to say about it?"

"She said she'd talk to him, and she agreed that there's nothing wrong with them hanging out together but not sneaking out together", The road ahead of them was bright, so bright that it made Michonne squint, "She also said that Elodie was more than welcome to go over to her home when she's there but I let Elodie know that I'd rather she didn't¬"

"Good. I don't want her over there.", Rick spoke with finality as if the conversation was over but Michonne continued.

" _Because..._ It seems as though Jessie has some male company over there, and I didn't know who it was"

Rick's head jerked back, "What?"

"I heard someone calling her when I was in there. She looked at me like she'd been caught or something, and I didn't like that."

"What?", Rick repeated, "You didn't see who?"

Michonne peered at him from the corner of her eye as she asked in a flat tone, "You care?"

Rick rolled his shoulders back as he stared out the window, his hands gripping the steering wheel, "Not in the way that you might think"

She narrowed her eyes at him, "Then what way?"

"She's naive. I know that for a fact. It wouldn't be hard for someone to take advantage of her."

Michonne rolled her eyes away from him, "Well we need to keep an eye on them if Elodie plans on having ties with that family"

"She doesn't have ties to that family", His tone gave away so much about how he was feeling, "If he wants to be a friend to her then he's welcome to do that. Anythan' more than that requires permission; which he doesn't have. If he doesn't like that then he can come see me about it."

Michonne had to hum in response to him, because if she had opened her mouth to say something then a chuckle would have escaped.

"...I'll keep an eye on 'em", She was willing to bet that when the opportunity came Rick would waste no time pouncing on Ron, but she was pleased that he was reacting a little more rationally than usual. Well, as rational as Rick could be. She sensed him look at her again, "...So are you going to talk to me now?"

Michonne pulled her gaze away from the windshield and put it on the side of his face, "I've been talking to you all morning."

He glanced at her, "You know what I mean."

She did, "Is that why you jumped at the chance to take the truck? So we could talk about that?"

He shrugged, "Well I don't know how long it will be before I can get you alone again, so I thought this would be a good time for us to talk about a lot of thangs"

Michonne sighed as she looked back through the windshield, "Right."

"...I wanna' know, Michonne. It's been playing on my mind since you said it", He admitted tenderly, "So I'd like for you to tell me if you don't mind?"

His sincerity always struck a chord with her. She peeked at him from behind a few of her locks, then sat up a little straighter, "...I found out before all of this happened that having any more children might not be as straightforward as it was the first time. They make it through the first few weeks but…not much further than that"

Rick looked at her, "...Were you trying?"

Her forehead creased as she thought about it, "Not the first time, but the second time we were. They both ended the same way."

She heard him inhale deeply, "Do the girls know?"

"No. I didn't want to upset them", She crossed her arms over her chest as she confessed to him, "They always wanted siblings so… I just felt like I'd be disappointing them."

"...I don't think they'd see it that way at all...", Rick remained quiet for a moment, then asked, "Did somethan' happen when they were born?"

Michonne shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she remembered, "It wasn't easy. There were complications but I was never told what. We did tests after the last time and we were due to find out what the problem was but… we never found out."

"Right", Rick slowly nodded his head as he thought about what she said, and she was ready to move away from the topic but he asked her another question, "Did you ever think that maybe the problem wasn't with you?"

Michonne's eyes shot over to him.

"I mean, you know it's possible, you did it before? Two healthy girls…", He explained carefully, "All I'm saying is maybe you weren't the reason why thangs weren't going the way they meant to"

She looked away, " _Maybe_... But I'm past wanting to know"

"...I understand."

Michonne felt a change in the atmosphere. She doubted that he felt it too because the change was in her.

That information wasn't something she or Dominic had shared outside of each other. It was deeply personal to them both, but Sharing it with Rick didn't feel like a betrayal. She thought it would.

They remained quiet for some time, and she started to wonder if she had said something that soured the mood. She felt him look at her several times but he didn't say anything. She decided to say something to change the tone, "...When they were six… I took them on their first long car ride…"

He perked up, "Yeah? Where to?"

"Savannah. I had some time off between jobs so I thought we'd do something... And they were so excited", Michonne began to smile to herself, "But It went horribly. Elodie threw up, Colette drank all of her juice and her sister's juice so she needed the bathroom every five minutes and by the time we got to the beach, they were miserable because they kept fighting"

Rick stared at her for a dangerously long time, "Yeah?"

"Yep. That was also the day that we found out that Elodie has a fear of the water. She wouldn't even put her toes in.", Michonne nearly groaned when she remembered how her daughter fought with her, "And Colette decided she'd try to take on a group of boys because she wanted their ball… It was great."

"It sounds like it", He snickered, "I wish I could have been there to witness it"

"Me too."

"Well, at least you made it there. We… _Carl's mother_ and I tried to take him on a trip to the Grand Canyon when he was still a baby, but he got sick and we had to turn around and head back home"

"Really?", She turned her head to look at him.

"Yeah... I never knew that a baby could throw up so much", He glanced at her as he smirked, "...I can't imagine how you managed with two of them"

"...When I think about how hard it must be to have a baby to look after now, everything else just seems like a walking a park"

"That's true…" She noticed his jaw tense, "...I'm sure I told you that we were in a prison before we got to Alexandria? Well, this other group wanted the place and… we went back and forth with each other until one day they just… stormed us. I killed the leader… then went inside to look for the kids and… I thought she was gone. Carl and I both thought… because the walls were down and there were walkers everywhere and... We were crushed...I really thought that was it and I almost fell apart... So you can imagine that when I saw her again I was damn near beside myself"

Michonne watched him quietly. She already had an idea of just how much his children meant to him but it still struck a chord with her when he spoke so passionately about them.

"I think that was when I realized just how much she meant to me. That's when I knew that she really was mine", He summarized affectionately, "But that feeling… It still haunts me."

"...Of course", She agreed quietly.

He glanced at her again when he heard her reply, and whether it was because of the nature of their discussion or just for the sake of it, he took one of his hands off the steering wheel and held it out to her. It was such a simple gesture but there was so much meaning behind it that it almost made her blush. She slipped her hand in his and placed it on her knee, all while avoiding looking him in the eye otherwise she really would blush.

The journey to the Kingdom was longer than either of them anticipated, so when they did finally arrive at their destination Michonne was nudged awake by Rick and she responded by growling at him. He chuckled in return as he slipped his hand behind her neck and massaged the space behind her ear, "I can't give you five more minutes. We're here."

They were stationed outside two steel gates being guarded by two men on either side, but they were much more welcoming than the men at the Hilltop. The gates opened without a hitch and they sailed into a buzzing community.

Michonne sat up straight and peered around through narrowed eyes. It was as if they were in a completely different world, somewhere unaffected by the walker's presence; residents were cheerfully going about their day, smiling and laughing with each other as they tended to crops and hung clean clothes in a communal area. They didn't even look at the passing vehicles twice. She frowned at the sight, "What the hell is this place?"

Rick sighed as the truck came to a rolling stop, "We're about to find out"

They had parked next to a grand building, where men and women were standing around outside wearing protective gear over their clothing. Rick walked with a wide, cool gait towards Jesus when they exited the truck, while Michonne strolled up to the first vehicle and continued to survey the bustling town.

"Welcome! Welcome, all!", A man's voice boomed. Everyone looked to the doors of the nearest building and saw a dark-skinned man with silver dreadlocks stepping onto the marble steps. He wore a wide smile on his face and waistcoat with a gold timepiece dangling from his pocket under his long, black coat. And he was followed closely by a fully grown Bengal tiger, "Jesus, my friend, It pleases me to see you've made it to the Kingdom in one piece"

Michonne's eyes didn't leave the wildcat.

"And you have brought us our new friends!", The man lifted his cane in the air as he spoke, "Come and greet the good King Ezekiel!"

Jesus was the only one to step forward, but when he realized he was on his own he turned back and gave the others a reassuring look. It took a moment but eventually, they all followed his lead.

"Your majesty…", Jesus moved to one side so that he could introduce them, "This is Rick and his people from Alexandria. They came a long way to¬"

"Rick, pleasure to meet you", Ezekiel stuck his hand out, and Rick gave him a once over with his eyes before he shook it, "It's always good when two leaders can come together and help each other"

"...Yeah", Rick rasped, too busy sizing the man up to really pay attention to what he was saying.

Ezekiel continued to greet Aaron, Scott, and Rosita in the same jovial way. The theatrics didn't amuse Michonne or anyone else it seemed, but she figured that no one was willing to argue with a man that had a pet tiger. When the King placed himself in front of her he gave her a slightly different welcome to everyone else, "And what, pray tell, is your name, fair maiden?"

She looked at the hand that he held out for her and cringed internally, but still shook it, "Michonne."

"Michonne?", Ezekiel's big brown eyes sparkled when he spoke, "The name reflects such beauty, much like it's owner"

Michonne began to retract her hand from his hold, "...Thanks"

He chortled at her reaction, "You must come inside with me¬"

"I'm afraid that's not happening", Rick warned as he stepped forward with his pistol at his side, "If you wanna' talk, then you talk to me"

Ezekiel looked surprised but not offended, "I mean no harm to your people? I wish for you all to come inside and¬"

"I'm not talking about anyone else", Rick's tone was cool, but laced with threat, "She's spoken for"

Michonne repeated his words in her mind and almost rolled her eyes. He couldn't be more territorial if he tried. Ezekiel placed a hand to his chest as he turned his attention back to Michonne, "Well, my sincerest apologies. I do not wish to tread on anyone's toes"

"Got it.", Michonne deadpanned.

"...But you are a treat!", Ezekiel chortled again as he moved away from her, "Come! You all had a long journey so make yourselves at home, rest, get acquainted with your new surroundings, and tonight we feast because today is a momentous day. It seems a mere few days ago that Good Jesus departed from my Kingdom, vowing to return with new people from another community, and not nearly enough time has passed¬ and yet, here you all stand! Remarkable!"

After that awkward introduction, the group was lead inside the building, where it became clear to them that they were actually on school grounds; classrooms had been turned into kitchens, community spaces and living quarters. It was homey and reminded her of some of the other places she'd stayed before they reached Alexandria.

They were shown to spare rooms at the end of a long hall and encouraged to make themselves comfortable, which for Michonne meant taking off her Katana and raiding her backpack for the world's smallest piece of chocolate that she'd been hiding from all of the Grimes kids.

"What do you think?", Rick asked as he stood by a narrow window on one side of the room.

"It's okay. They seem nice.", She sat on the bed and plucked her treat from its foil wrapper. Rick looked back and raised an eyebrow at her when he saw what she was doing. She ignored him and plopped it in her mouth, "What do you think?"

"...I haven't made up my mind yet", He turned away from the window and crossed the small space between them to join her on the bed, "'The King' is gonna' annoy me"

"Tell me about it."

"And I don't appreciate him flirting with you either", He turned his head to look at her, "That pissed me off"

"I would have never have guessed", She replied sardonically as she moved her backpack out of the way, "Seriously though, you don't always need to throw your weight around"

"Sometimes I do", He growled his words as he averted his gaze, "...Jesus wants me to talk to him. He thinks we can go up against Negan together"

Michonne eyed the side of his face, "And what do you think?"

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, "To be honest with you… I'm not sure how good of an idea that is"

That wasn't news to Michonne. She suspected that he was dubious about fighting back.

"...I don't think that I can take any more chances. We don't have the numbers or the guns", He raked his fingers through his hair, "I know that probably sounds like some kind of excuse but it's the truth. I've thought about it over and over since that night and I just don't think it's possible and I think we'd be worse off for even trying..."

"...We're already worse off", Michonne tried to keep her tone neutral even though his reluctance frustrated her, "We won't be able to keep giving them half of everything. We'd have to keep sending people one runs and they'd have to keep going further out, and crops don't grow overnight. Eventually, we'll just be providing for them and only them."

Rick stared at the wall in front of them as she spoke.

"...If we can't find a reason to fight for ourselves then fine, but we've got so many people to consider…", She lowered her gaze to the ground, "Families to consider. Children to consider…"

He turned his head in her direction.

"You said so yourself that you wanted to live and you were ready to start living… What makes you think that they don't too? They deserve too. We can't let them think that everything they've been through was for nothing because it wasn't. We always kept going because one day we knew we'd get the chance to stop. We didn't know when or where but… we knew. And we were right…", She exhaled, "And we got more than just a safe place to live. We have so much more to fight for."

Rick kept his gaze elsewhere for some time, then finally looked at her, "We do"

Michonne gazed right back at him, pleased to hear him agree.

"You're right… We do have a lot more to fight for. All of us.", He placed one his hands on her knee, "Especially us. But we have so much to lose, too. I can't take that risk."

Michonne's brows furrowed, "We'll always have so much to lose, always, but the real risk here isn't fighting back; it's doing nothing at all"

Rick let her words seep in. He looked everywhere else in the room as if he were really weighing up his options. He uttered quietly, "...I know…"

She'd been waiting on tenterhooks to have that discussion with him. She refused to believe that someone like Rick could just submit so easily and she was right, but like anyone else, Rick also needed support. He was carrying so much responsibility on his shoulders and she could see that he was scared to make another move but he didn't have to be because she was more than willing to make that move with him.

She placed her hand on his jaw and gave him a peck on his cheek as a small yet meaningful gesture, but if her affection were blood then Rick was a hound, and he'd hunt for more.

He caught her lips with his in a hungry kiss and pulled her against him in a forceful tug. It made her weak at the knees when he held her, and her senses almost lost it when he shoved her tongue in her mouth and grabbed a sizable hold of her ass but they were far from home and anyone could come to the door at any minute, so she placed her hand on his chest and backed away from him, "Wait¬ Stop"

He held her against him and brushed his lips against hers as he asked, "What's wrong?"

"Not here", She tried to slow him down but it was no use, "We aren't at home, Rick"

His eyes flickered towards the door, then back at her, "We'll make this quick."

Michonne hoped that one day he'd take a different approach to having sex with her. While she did enjoy their trysts very much, he never gave her a chance to catch her breath. Making love to him felt as though she was being pushed off a cliff. He pulled his jeans and boxers down to his ankles and made her do the same, then pulled her on his lap facing away from him. His groped her couch with such skill that she kicked off her pants spread her legs wider for him, loving the way his rough fingertips felt against her pearl. She could feel his large velvet tip at her entrance, rock hard and ready so she arched her back, let him slip inside. He grunted behind her. It stung to take him all but she didn't stop until she was at his base.

"Good thang we don't have long", Rick muttered as he ran his hands up her thighs, "...You're about to relive our first time"

Michonne reluctantly snickered as she started to move, "Stop it"

She placed her hand on his knees and began rocking back and forth, lifting her ass up and down as she basked in the full feeling he gave her. She could hear him cursing under his breath and she was thrilled to know that she could drive him crazy, too. He would switch from holding her waist to holding her rear in his hands then spreading her cheeks whenever she moved forward. He was watching every little bit of their contact.

"S-shit", His breaths were jagged. She hummed and moaned in response, too busy biting her lip as she slowly started to bounce on his lap. He commented roughly, "Just like that"

Michonne tried to pant quietly but it was difficult to control herself. His thick tip was hitting her g-spot and it made her dizzy with pleasure. He opened his legs wider between hers, making her back arch more to keep him within her. He cursed some more and she moved faster until she bobbing up and down on his lap, her hands gripping his knees to hold herself up.

"Oh, my God", She whispered to herself when she felt a familiar tension building in her core. Her head lulled forward and she received the occasional glimpse of his shaft before it disappeared inside her.

He snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her until her back was against his chest, causing her to stop moving. He swept her hair to one side and kissed the back of her neck, "You alright?"

"...Yeah", She still panted.

He snuck a hand back down between her legs and started strumming at her swollen bud, "Yeah?"

Her eyes rolled shut as she purred, "Yeah"

She rolled her hips as he rubbed her. He bit the parts of her back that were exposed and loosened his hold enough for her to keep riding his thick length. She thought that with the added attention to her pearl that she'd be the one to implode first but she felt him jerk inside her at the exact moment that he released a low, guttural moan. She started to pull herself off of him as she hissed, "Rick!"

He begrudgingly let go of her and she saw his pulsing shaft slip out while erupting a generous amount of white goods. She was still in the heat of the moment when she held him against her lips and moved her hips back and forth, stroking her bud with his bulging tip.

"Shit!", Ricks' hands clamped on her hips. He was getting sensitive to touch and still emptying himself on her hand but she kept going, loving the way he felt on her.

By the time she climaxed, there was such a mess between her legs that she didn't know what was from him or her. He let his head rest on her back as he calmed down, while Michonne tried to summon some strength to stand. She huffed to him, "You really need to remember to pull it out"

He groaned as he gave her thigh a little squeeze, "I'm _trying_ , Michonne"

She rolled her eyes and smirked, "Sorry."

They could hear faint voices from behind the door as they sat in silence. Michonne knew that they'd have to show their faces soon but she wasn't in a rush to move, and neither was Rick. His breath tickled her as he sighed, "...You remember when I broke my arm?"

Michonne appeared confused, staring at the wall in front of her like it had spoken instead of him, "Your arm?"

"Yeah. I fell off the roof outside your bedroom window."

A crease formed above her brows as she frowned. She sifted through all the memories she had of them as teens and suddenly recalled the event, "...You did break your arm, didn't you?"

"I did", He thumb stroked her thigh, "And it hurt like hell"

She giggled to herself, "I'd be more surprised if it didn't"

"...You don't remember much from back then, do you?", His question made her smile fall alway, "I know it was a long time ago and we were young but… I really cared about you. I took it hard when you disappeared so memories were all I had left."

A creased formed above her brow as she frowned, "...My life changed overnight, Rick. I nearly blacked out when I found out I was having twins... and my aunt didn't talk to me, my parents didn't talk to me… I was just on my own and scared... I guess I just blocked everything else out"

"...I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to sound like¬"

"I know.", She tapped his hand gently and left it on placed on top of his, "I know what you meant."

He kissed her neck again but for a moment longer than before. An apologetic kiss. He whispered to her, "Let's go".


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:** Hey guys! So before anyone reads any further, I need to stress that I made some changes to the last chapter shortly after I last updated it because I made a clusterfuck of a mistake with this storyline (Which was my own fault because I just love to work on multiple fics at once, so it was bound to happen). I'm so sorry, but I'll hope you'll all really believe me now when I say that I'm a mess.

And just to let you lovelies know, I've been considering taking a break from updating so that I could finish all my current fics and then publish them when they're complete to avoid such a long wait between chapters. A part of me thinks that's a good idea, but then another part of me remembers that I have 9 fics going right now so it might take me MONTHS to complete them all. I'm in two minds about it but will definitely keep you all posted if I do decide to do that!

Really hope you enjoy this chapter!

\- Bae

...

Chapter Seventeen:

"...The truth of the matter is, we can't fight back. We aren't in a position to fight back¬ Negan has the people and the resources to undo everything that this Kingdom has done. People have sacrificed too much to make this place what it is. My men and women guard this place with their lives... I can't take this from them."

Rick was looking directly at Ezekiel when he was providing his lengthy reason for not fighting back against the Saviors and at some point in his speech, Rick simply stopped listening.

It was early the morning, and he had spent one part of the night worrying about Alexandria and the other part with his head between Michonnes legs. He enjoyed the latter more.

"I know it probably sounds cowardice of me…", Ezekiel continued, "And I don't enjoy giving them even an ounce of our supplies, but I feel as though we have the upper hand he. If we continue to keep giving them tainted food then we might just be able to do some subtle damage…"

It wasn't that Rick was worried about Negan turning up at the gates of his home; he was more concerned about what to do with his daughters 'friend'. Even though Elodie seemed sincere in her apology and Michonne believed that the issue wouldn't be a problem again, he was still skeptical about Ron Anderson.

"I think if Alexandria and the Hilltop where to do the same then we can really do some damage…", Ezekiel wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, "We might have a plan there"

Rick gave him a slight head tilt as though he were considering it when really he was wondering how upset Elodie would be if Ron disappeared. She was still young and resilient after all, and she couldn't have become that attached to him.

"So what do you say?"

Rick snapped out of his thoughts, "We have to kill them."

Ezekiel's appeared serious, "Now Rick, I just explained to you why that isn't an option for us¬"

"I felt the same way as you, and I still do to some extent", Rick offered honestly, "But the fact of the matter is, if we don't stop this now then it won't ever stop. How long do you wanna' keep handing over your supplies to them? Months?"

Ezekiel shook his head, "My plan will do more damage than that and sooner¬"

"And in the meantime you'll just hope that Negan doesn't waltz in here and kill someone just for the sake of it, right?", Rick cocked his head to one side, "I've got families back at Alexandria. You've got families here and they have families at the Hilltop. We need to protect them. We all know someone that's lost everythan' and everyone they care about but still find the strength to get up in the morning and do what they can to keep these communities going. We need to protect them. If we're all trying to get back somethan' from the world we had before then we need to protect everyone, and we need to get rid of the threat; the threat is Negan. The threat is the Saviors. We won't even get a shred of the world we once knew back, with people like that around."

Ezekiel sat back in his throne and cast his gaze elsewhere as he sank in to deep thought, and Rick did the same, but about his home situation. Killing Ron would open up a new set of problems for him and he didn't want to do anything that could be detrimental to his relationship with Elodie, but he wondered if under the right circumstances it would appear as though he had no other option but to kill him. His train of thought was interrupted by Ezekiel, "You provide a good argument…"

"I know", Rick shifted his stance as he glanced back towards the door, "So what do you say?"

Ezekiel looked up at the large guard who stood beside him. Jerry gave him a reassuring look but said nothing. Ezekiel peered back at Rick and reluctantly said, "...I give you my word that I will consider it"

It wasn't the answer that Rick wanted to hear after such a lengthy chat, but it would do for the time being, "Fine, but don't take too long because we don't have the time for that."

"I'm aware", Ezekiel slowly nodded his head as he looked him from head to toe, "Well, I'm pleased that we could finally meet, Rick. Jesus has spoken fondly about Alexandria and it's people… Including you."

"Is that right?", Rick was ready to leave and only hung around because the man with silver locks continued to speak.

"It is...I heard that you are a father?"

"I am. I have four kids"

Ezekiel seemed impressed, "...You have your children and your mate at a time like this? That makes you a very rich man"

Rick didn't know how he felt about hearing Michonne being called his 'mate'. He shrugged it off, "Yeah. Thanks."

"It's things like that…", Ezekiel carried on, "That helps us to understand each other better. When you discover what a man has, or has lost… you see that man differently"

Rick could finally agree with something he said, "I agree"

"I may not have the same things you do, but I have people that I care about dearly here. People that I will do anything to protect", Ezekiel stressed his point passionately, "We are not so different, in that respect".

Out of all the leaders Rick had met in such a short space of time, he had to admit that Ezekiel appeared to be the most transparent. His sincerity was obvious, and he came across as a good-natured man but his hesitance to stand up against Negan did annoy Rick.

Alexandria were going to fight, but they couldn't do it alone.

The others were disappointed to hear that he hadn't received the green light from the King, but they couldn't sulk about it. They still had to search for supplies because they couldn't return to the community empty-handed. Ezekiel had given them a small haul of goods to help, but it would only be enough to last them a few days at most.

"If we take the long way back then we can cover more ground, find my places", Michonne suggested as she studied a map on her lap. She was sitting in the passenger seat of the truck, while Rick leaned on the passenger door, watching her, "It might take us a little longer to get home but it might be worth it"

Rick didn't like that idea, "...Then maybe we should just go back the way we came, then come back out here another day?"

Her eyes slid off the map and found him, "It shouldn't take that long. We'll still get home today, just later."

He bit his tongue and looked away from her, "Alright"

"...The kids are probably fine", She read his mind, "They aren't there by themselves. They know who to go to if they need help with anything."

"I know. I trust them."

Michonne stared at the side of his face for a short moment. She had sussed him out, but instead of confronting about it, she simply said, "We're going the long way. We'll be back before dark."

He pursed his lips as he met eyes with her again, "Alright. Fine."

She eyed him once more before she began to look away, but something caught her attention behind him. Rick turned back and saw that it was Daryl; strolling towards them as though he didn't have a care in the world; he had his crossbow slung over his shoulder and a cookie in his hand.

Rick had heard that he was in the Kingdom the night before when he bumped into Morgan, too. He had to wonder what kind of leader or friend that he was, that he hadn't noticed that members of his group had vanished without him knowing. He didn't know that Carol had left, and he didn't know that Morgan had gone after her. He hadn't seen or heard from Daryl since the night that they finally came face to face with Negan. He squinted away from the sun as he greeted the runaway, "How's it going?"

"...'Bout to ask you the same thang", Daryl stopped close by to him, then looked at Michonne, "Kids alright?"

"They _better_ be", She quipped back with a smirk.

Daryl looked as though he wanted to smirk too. He peered at Rick, "...Carol's up here."

"I heard", He stopped leaning on the door, "Morgan told me that she left"

"She did; same time we did. She didn't know what went down in the woods", Daryl pressed his palm on the side of the truck and rested against it, "She's staying here."

Rick added Carol to the list of people that he needed to speak with at some point, right underneath Maggie and Sasha, "How'd you get up here?"

"...I went back home first… then came out to find him", Daryl scowled as he spoke about Negan, "Wanted to follow his boys back to their base but they met up with Ezekiel instead. Saw Morgan with him so I followed them instead…"

Rick began to frown as he pieced together the events, "Did Carol take some of the guns?"

"No. I did.", Daryl frowned back, "I knew they were coming for our shit so I took as many as I could carry"

Michonne cleared her throat rather loudly from the truck. Rick knew what that meant; he'd thrown an accusatory look in her direction when he first heard that they were missing weapons. He looked at her and said, "I'm sorry."

She kept her eyes on the map as she muttered something under her breath.

Rick faced Daryl again with an inaudible sigh, "You coming back with us?"

"Yeah", Daryl took a bite out of his cookie.

"Alright. We're gonna' stop by a few places first…"

"Got it."

Even though Ezekiel promised to think about an impending battle, Rick actually left the Kingdom feeling confident that he would agree. Carol had a fighting spirit, and Morgan did as well. If he couldn't talk the king into doing something, then surely one of them could. He was banking on it.

Tara, Scott, and Aaron rode in the car behind them when made it on the road. Daryl stayed with him and Michonne and plonked himself in the passenger seat, so Michonne was sat between them. Rick would have expected a quiet ride because his oldest companion was usually a man of few words, and Michonne wasn't much of a talker outside of their home, but the two of them struck up a conversation so easily that it almost made Rick jealous.

In fact, it did make him jealous.

"I'll give you half of this…", Michonne held up a candy bar as she spoke, "For one full cookie"

"Nuh-uh", Daryl frowned furiously, "That ain't a deal. You're getting more than me"

"I saw the size of that cookie, it's about the same size of a half", She reasoned, "So you're not losing out"

"Make that half bigger and you got yourself a deal"

"No.", She tucked the bar away from him, "Half the bar, one whole cookie. If you want the whole bar then that's going to cost you three cookies"

Daryl narrowed his eyes at her, "I ain't got three cookies"

"I bet you do", Michonne grinned, "So what's your pleasure?"

"How about I just take it?"

"You'll be _limping_ out of this truck if you even try it"

Rick tore his eyes off the windshield and glanced at them both. They were obviously playing like two siblings would, and he should have been pleased that they had such chemistry between them, but seeing Michonne behave that way with someone else, other than their children, annoyed him. He had to jump through several hoops just to make her smile.

"Fine, but break that half of first", Daryl gave in.

"Let me see the cookie first", She raised her fine eyebrow at him, "And it has to be intact. No broken parts."

Rick deeply inhaled as he interrupted their exchange, "I can see somethan' up ahead. We'll get out and check it out"

Neither of them replied since they were too busy swapping sweet treats. Rick was beginning to think that he should have suggested that Daryl took a ride with the others.

He pulled up at an abandoned row of stores and a gas station. There were homes sprinkled here and there along the way so Rick expected the stores to be picked dry but they still had to look. They were too desperate to ignore the opportunity.

Tara and Scott took one store, while Daryl and Aaron took the other. Rick followed Michonne to the gas station, holding his gun in one hand and hatchet in the other. She prowled her way around the building and Rick knocked on the entrance window several times to get anything in there to come out.

"Looks clear", She said as she joined him at the door.

He knew she was chewing before he even looked at her, and he reacted childishly, "You enjoying that?"

She began to smile, then reached into her pocket and pulled out a tissue, "I saved you half…"

Her offering was sweet; so sweet that Rick couldn't be annoyed anymore. He shook his head, "You eat it. You fought hard for it."

"Here", She insisted, "Take it"

He relented, and made an embarrassing admission as he took the remaining half, "...I think got a little jealous back there"

"You think?", She looked highly amused, "You slammed the truck door pretty hard"

Rick averted his gaze as pushed the cookie in his mouth. He knew that she was sniggering when she walked away from him.

"Come on", She called back, "Let's get this over with".

Dedicating an entire day on a run wasn't easy, especially when they were only gathering a few items from each store. If they didn't start producing their own food soon enough, then they'd have to keep going further and further out just to find the bare necessities.

Rick had to speak with the community, and soon. He knew there were some tensions between himself and the residents because there had always been tension between them, but recent events had magnified it. He wasn't oblivious to their stares. Even when they thought they had looked away quick enough. He couldn't have them turn on him because Alexandria was his family's home. Whatever happened to him would affect them, too.

Although, if they did turn on him then they would have to be prepared for him to fight back because he most certainly would fight back.

Those thoughts continued to run around in his mind for most of the day, and he didn't think that he could get any relief until they stumbled across a bullet-ridden cabin on a body of water. He didn't think much of it, and they were too close to home for him to care to check it out, but Michonne insisted that they did, and soon enough, Rick was glad that they did.

There were supplies; canned and jars of food, along with bullets and guns. They took them without hesitation, but Rick knew enough to know that they'd have to be careful. There was no sign of anyone in or near the cabin, but that didn't mean it was abandoned. He made a note to Michonne to have more people on watch when they returned to the community; just in case. If the supplies belonged to someone else, then they would be ready for them.

"Any problems?", Rick spoke to Rosita from through the truck window when they passed through the gates of Alexandria.

The fiery young woman shook her head as she slung her rifle over her shoulder, "Nope. How'd the talk go?"

Rick tilted his head just a little, "We're gonna' get everyone together and talk about it"

She raised her eyebrows as she responded dryly, "He said no. Got it."

The community was quiet since the evening was approaching and the sky was darkening. He saw a few residents sprinkled here and there, and they greeted him the same way he greeted them; with a cold stare.

Daryl jumped out the truck when they passed Carol's old home, while Rick and Michonne had to take their haul to the pantry before they could finally do the same.

Rick was undeniably anxious to see his children, and he thought he hid it while but he learned that he was wrong when Michonne said, "I'm surprised that you're not running there"

He took his gaze away from the peaceful street. They were walking hand in hand, their fingers intertwined. He looked at her, "...I'm sure everythan's fine¬"

"Everything probably is fine", She really liked teasing him, "You're worried about nothing"

"I hope I am", He looked down the street again at his home, "...I didn't think I'd have to worry about thangs like that with all this going on. I thought Carl was the only teenage boy that I'd have to worry about."

She side eyed him, "Some things will never change, no matter what's going on in the world. If anything, it's great that they live somewhere safe enough to do those things¬"

"It's because they're bored. We need to start letting them do thangs to take their mind off of... ' _relationships_ '¬"

"Well we've been pretty busy lately, that hasn't taken our minds off of relationships", She pulled her sheath from her back as she made her point, "We can't make her feel bad for having a connection with someone"

Rick snorted at her comment, "A _connection_?"

He saw Michonne roll her eyes as she started walking up the porch steps. She muttered loud enough for him to hear, "I am too tired for this"

He took that as his queue to shut up.

The house was quiet when they walked in, but a soft glow coming from the living area let them know that someone was up; It was Carl, sitting on the sofa beside a sleeping Judith. He seemed pleased to see them, "You're back"

"Yeah, everythan' alright?", Rick stepped closer to him and inspected them both with his eyes.

"Yeah", Carl held a comic book open on his lap, "How'd it go?"

"...It went alright. We got some stuff…", Rick sighed, as he set one of his hands on his side.

"I found chocolate", Michonne piped up from behind him while perching on the arm of the recliner, "I'll share some with you in exchange for that comic book"

Carl began to grin, "Deal."

Rick furrowed his brow when he directed a sly comment at Michonne, "You're really in a bartering mood today?"

She simply quipped back, "Jealous."

He smirked as he glanced towards the staircase, "Where are the girls?"

"Elodie just went upstairs and Colette's in that bedroom…", Carl half-heartedly motioned towards the bedroom near the kitchen, "She said that's her bedroom now"

Rick slowly nodded his head as he looked back at Michonne. She was frowning, "They're not sharing anymore?"

"Nope…", Carl shook his head, as he played with the pages of his book.

"Did something happen?", She probed, "Were they arguing?"

Carl shrugged one of his shoulders, "I think so… they haven't talked since yesterday"

"Good job the referee is back", Michonne groaned as she stood up from her seat, "I'll take her up to her bed"

"Oh, and Judith's scared of the toilet by the way", Carl confessed as he watched Michonne scoop Judith off the couch and into her arms, "We tried to potty train her while you guys were gone…"

Michonne snickered as she walked away, while Rick raised his eyebrow to emphasize his question, "Why would she be scared of the toilet?"

"She kinda' fell in it", Carl cringed, "Not _all_ the way in… Just a little"

Imagining his daughter's little frame in the toilet was humorous enough for Rick to smile, "Alright, well I'll have to pick up where you left off"

"Oh, and there's a casserole in the oven. Mrs. Anderson made it."

Rick's little smile vanished, "That was nice of her… She came over?"

"Yeah."

"When?", Rick tried to make it seem as though he wasn't digging for information, but he was.

"A while ago. I think she brought us food because she saw us eating just spaghetti yesterday for dinner", Carl smirked, "And the kitchen was a mess…"

"She came by yesterday too?"

"Yeah, but with Ron", Carl stood up with his comic book in his hand.

Rick was so pleased his son felt at ease to share with him, "Oh, alright… Did they just stop by or…"

"They were here for a little while. Not long."

"...Got it.", Rick was sure he had unearthed the reason for the twins fight but he wouldn't know for certain unless he spoke to one of them, "Did you eat some already?"

"Yeah. I'm still stuffed", Carl passed by him to get to the stairs, "I'll be in my room"

"Alright, son", Rick slowly walked his way to the back of the house as he watched the boy stomp his way up the staircase.

He didn't doubt for even a moment that Michonne was speaking with Elodie, so he decided to take on the other twin, even though he knew it wouldn't be a simple task for him. Colette was a tough code to crack and he knew she didn't feel comfortable talking to him about herself, but he was going to keep trying until she did.

He knocked on the bedroom door and waited for her to respond before he entered the room; She was sat on the bed with headphones around her neck and a book on her lap, which she immediately closed when she saw him, "You're back"

"We are", Rick closed the door behind him, "How's it going?"

"...Fine", She narrowed her eyes at him, "What's going on?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to see how you're doing"

"...Fine", She repeated in a dull tone.

Rick made his way over to her bed and took a seat, "So this is your new room?"

Her demeanor changed in a split second. Even though she hadn't even moved, Rick knew she was on the offense when she said, "It is."

"...Can I ask why that is?", He tread lightly.

"Because I wanted my own room", She kept her tone dry, "Am I not allowed my own room? Carl has his own room. Judith has her own room, and I know my mom's not sleeping in here anymore, so why can't I have this one?"

"You are allowed your own room", Rick repositioned himself so that he was facing her, "I would just like to know what made you decide to have your own room now?"

She hadn't blinked since he sat down, "I'm probably sixteen now, so I need my own space."

Rick quickly realized that giving her the opportunity to tell him what happened wasn't working, "Why aren't you and Elodie talking?"

He was gifted with her defiant look, "Does it matter?"

"Yes. It matters very much."

"Well, it doesn't matter to me."

"It should", He insisted a little firmly, "What happened?"

He knew she wasn't going to talk before he even asked the question. She pressed her lips firmly together and continued to look him dead the eye without fear.

Unfortunately for her, she still hadn't learned that he was a very determined man, "It better not have been over that boy? Ron?"

He offended her so much that she broke her bout of silence, "Ew! _What_? No! What are you even talking about?!"

"I heard Ron Anderson and his mother came by yesterday?"

She snarled, "I don't care about her or her stupid boyfriend"

"Alright, two thangs we're gonna' clear up right now", He sat up straight, "One, you do care about her, and two; he's not her boyfriend. He's her stupid friend."

Colette's lip twitched. She was amused, but not enough to completely lose her composure.

"Now since I have a rough idea of what's going on, would you care to give me a little more detail?", He gave her a knowing look, "I won't leave you alone until you do."

Her stubborn streak didn't allow her to back down for quite some time, and when she finally spoke, all she said was, "She didn't tell me."

Rick made a breakthrough, "Did you ask her why that was?"

Colette rolled her eyes as she looked away from him, "She said she didn't want to upset me, but that's stupid because I wouldn't be upset"

"And did you tell her that?"

She pursed her lips, "No. I shouldn't _have_ to."

"But maybe you should have. Neither of you have done anythan' wrong here, It's Ron Anderson that's the problem"

Colette was amused again, and this time she couldn't hide it.

"I think that the two of you need to talk to each other properly. Whether you're ready to admit it or not, you're upset because she didn't tell you that Ron was bothering her", He cocked his head to one side as he tried to catch her gaze, "And I think that you know she wasn't trying to upset you. I bet you know that you would have been the first person that she told"

Colette shrugged as she looked around the room, "Maybe."

"Don't let boys get in between the two of you", He stressed his point.

"It's not about ' _boys_ ', dad", Colette huffed and puffed, "It's about her not telling me. I don't care about Ron. I don't care that she got a boyfriend first¬ I don't like boys"

Rick was in awe. She'd called him 'Dad' without even realizing it. He placed her hand on her knee as he said, "Well I'm very happy to hear that, but I need to remind you that he's not her boyfriend"

Colette rolled her eyes again, "Fine. Her stupid friend."

"That's better", He could finally smile at her, "Look, you're allowed to have your own room, but don't do it out of spite. And I need you to promise me that the two of you will talk to each other. You're allowed to have arguments and disagree with each other but don't escalate it over a misunderstanding. You're meant to be looking out for her, and she's meant to be looking out for you¬"

"I get it", She groaned in the exact same way that Michonne had done earlier, "Alright. Fine. Whatever."

"Thank you", He knew she didn't want him to bother her further, so he stood up to leave, "I'll let you get back to what you were doing"

"Okay", Colette picked up her pen and started to open her book again while Rick started for the door, but as soon as he put his hand on the door handle, she called out to him, "I really mean it by the way… I don't like boys"

Rick looked back at her curiously. Something about the way she made the claim led him to believe that she was trying to tell him something else.

He'd never seen her look so hesitant, "...Like, at all."

It dawned on him that she was confessing something of great magnitude to her. He gave her a thoughtful nod, "And that's perfectly fine."

Her shoulders slouched just a little, as though she was relieved, "...My mom doesn't know."

"...You can tell her when you're ready", He knew she wasn't telling him her secret because she wanted to talk about it. It was purely for clarification, but it still meant as much to him as it probably did to her.

She looked down at her book as she mumbled, "Good night."

"Good night".


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen:

Michonne had only sensed something odd was happening under her nose on the morning after their return because she was sat outside enjoying a cup of cold tea in the corner of the porch. The sun was still rising so she was sitting in the shadows, and maybe that's why the two men didn't see her; one of them stepped out of the Andersons home, looking around suspiciously until he was joined by the other. Michonne recognized them both, she'd seen them around the community but never spoke to them or knew their names. She watched them converse for a few moments before one slipped back inside the home and the other snuck away.

She remembered when she'd caught a few residents venting about Rick. She couldn't be sure if those two men were involved, but she wondered if it had something to do with that. The fact that one was clearly waiting for the other told her that their little meeting was planned beforehand, and that didn't sit well with her.

Rick had the right qualities to be a great leader, but he still held onto those ruthless qualities that probably came in useful when he was outside the walls. Michonne could easily imagine that it was the latter that made him unpopular with the people around them. It didn't help that most of the community were in the dark about what led to Negan turning up at the gate; one minute everything was fine and the next, they were having to give away their belongings to men and women that ransacked their home. Their old leader, Deanna, was still held up in her home and only made an appearance to scold Rick. She could understand why they'd be frustrated with the new direction they were being led in. Rick had a lot of explaining to do, and he had to do it quickly if he wanted to keep the peace in the community.

She stayed on the porch until she heard a fairly loud disagreement taking place in the home. She heard Colette's voice first, which was hardly surprising, followed by Elodies, but the loudest voice of all was Judith's. Michonne hopped out of her seat to see who upset the little girl.

"If you wanted a shower then you should have been in the bathroom¬ but you weren't!", Colette threw her hand up in the air as she stressed her point, "That's you're stupid fault, not mine¬"

"I left the shower running! All my stuff was in there!", Elodie balled her fists at her side as she yelled at her sister from the other side of the kitchen counter, "The water's cold!"

The twins had to shout at each other because Judith provided them with background noise; a constant high pitch scream that included her banging on her highchair table with her bowl. She obviously didn't get much of a chance to make so much noise, so she was truly enjoying herself.

Michonne was about to close the front door when she noticed Carl coming down the stairs, but after looking into the kitchen, he swiftly turned back around and went back the way he came. She felt sorry for him.

"Why are you being like this?!", Elodie vented, "You're so¬ so¬"

"Whatever!", Colette snapped as she set down a plate on the kitchen counter with a little more force than necessary, "Why are you even talking to me right now? Don't you have a stupid boyfriend to go and see? Talk to him¬ not me!"

Michonne surged forward, "What is going¬"

"What is going on down here?!", Rick's voice traveled through the entire bottom level of the home as he stomped down the stairs in just his sweatpants and wet hair. The girls, including Judith, all fell silent, but he continued to probe, "Huh? Why are you all yelling and why are you screaming?"

Of course, Colette didn't reply. Judith sunk lower into her highchair as if she were trying to hide, so it was left to Elodie to explain, "I was going to take a shower¬ I left all my stuff in the bathroom and went to get my hairbrush and Colette went in there and used all the hot water¬ I told her to get out but she locked the door"

Rick looked back at Michonne, who had decided to lean against the wall so she could watch how he handled the argument. He raised an eyebrow at her and she replied by tipping her head towards the girls as if to say, 'Go ahead'.

He faced them, "You can use our bathroom, Elodie"

Elodie's eyes widened, "But that's not the point¬ She's being horrible on purpose because of… because of¬"

"Because, what?", Colette wiped around angrily, "You better not say your stupid boyfriend, because I don't care. I couldn't care less if I tried"

"Hey", Rick clicked his fingers to get Colette's attention, "What did I tell you about that?"

Colette's eyes lit up as though she'd just struck gold, "Oh yeah! _Dad_ thinks he's stupid, too!"

Michonne was taken aback to hear Colette to finally refer to Rick as 'dad', but she couldn't revel at the moment for too long because she was shocked at what the angry teen had revealed. She frowned at the back of Rick's head, wondering why he'd say such a thing, while Elodie appeared hurt as she peered in their father's direction. Rick struggled to explain himself, "That's not what I meant¬"

"Alright", Michonne had to intervene when Colette started to cackle, "Elodie, go upstairs and use our bathroom."

Elodie looked at everyone in the room one last time before she sulked away, while Colette continued to taunt her with an evil snicker.

"You", Michonne zeroed in on the other, "Stop. That. Now."

Colette's smile was quickly replaced with an exasperated expression, "She's the one that came in here and¬"

"I said", Michonne warned, "Stop. If you knew she was planning to use the bathroom then you should have waited or used another bathroom. You know you wouldn't like it if she had done that to you, so you better keep that in mind next time"

As expected, Colette reacted by huffing and puffing as she sauntered out of the kitchen, but not without mumbling, "I'm not even hungry more."

One door slammed upstairs, then another downstairs, and suddenly the home was quiet again. Michonne sighed, while Rick closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, "...What time is it?"

"I don't know", She smirked as she made her way over to Judith, "But definitely still early… And a little tip for the future? Don't ever tell one something that the other can use against her. Then it looks like you're picking a side."

"She knew that's not what I meant", Rick stressed.

"Of course she did."

"I do think he's stupid but he's not her boyfriend¬ I'm starting to _hate_ that word", Rick raked his fingers through his still wet hair, "And I spoke to her about that yesterday¬ they were meant to talk it out and move past this"

A chuckle erupted from the deepest pits of Michonne's stomach. She hadn't heard something so funny in a long time. She gave him the most incredulous look as she asked him seriously, "Is that what you thought?"

He stared at her, "Was that really that funny?"

She still laughed as she picked Judith up, "Yes. It really was."

He eyed her from head to toe before he turned his attention to Judith, "And what was all that screaming you were doing?"

Judith leaned closer to Michonne, "...Not me"

"Not you? Well If it wasn't you then who was it?"

"...Lette' an' El-oddie"

Michonne bit back a smile, while Rick shook his head, "That's not true. I heard you loud and clear."

Judith pouted, then looked to Michonne for help. She couldn't hold back her smile any longer, "It's not her fault. She just wanted to join in"

Carl came back down the stairs, obviously pleased that there had been a cease-fire. He chirped in a cheerful tone, "Morning."

"Morning, son", Rick greeted back, "Did you hear all that?"

Carl scoffed as he made a beeline for the refrigerator, "Of course I did. That's all I've heard for two days now"

"Sorry about that Carl", Michonne offered, "If they start up like that again then I'm sure your dad will make an exception to that throwing fruit rule"

Carl snorted as he laughed, while Rick shook his head with despair as he began to turn around, "I need to get changed"

"We need to talk", Michonne used the hand that wasn't holding Judith to hold his forearm, "Now."

She didn't want to alarm Carl so she followed him upstairs with Judith in tole, and let the youngest Grimes child run rampant their room while she informed Rick of what she'd seen earlier that morning, and what she thought it meant. He reacted how she expected him to; his 'family man' exterior fell away, and he slipped into survivor mode. He put on his denim shirt and pants in record speed as he prepared for confrontation, all while Michonne tried to think of a more rational way of dealing with the possible problem.

"You said that we need to talk to everyone¬ That has yet to happen", She pointed out calmly from her seat on the bed, "I think you need to speak with Deanna and try to get her to join her for the next town meeting¬"

"Sounds like we're past all that", He replied firmly as he shoved his belt through the loops on his pants. His eyes darted from one piece of furniture to the other, "Where's my gun?"

She ignored his question, "We're never passed talking, Rick. They might be frustrated with the way things have been around here but when you get everyone together and show them¬"

"Show them what? What do I have to show them?"

"That everything you're doing and have done was to protect this place", She tried not to match his tone, "They may not agree with how you've done it, but they need to be reminded that that's the goal here"

"You really think they wanna' hear that?", He narrowed his eyes at her as he asked the question, "The fact that they're sneaking around here making plans to meet up proves that they don't give damn anymore. They're ready to start making thangs happen... And I'm ready to stop them before they even try"

She inhaled deeply, "Well at least call the meeting early¬ Catch them off guard. We talk to Deanna and we get everyone together in an hour or so. If they see that she's backing you up then that might make them back down"

He still looked around the room as he said, "And what if they don't? You expect me to keep talking then?"

"Yes. You talk until they give you a reason not to", She said sternly, "We've got enough problems on our plate¬ We don't need anymore. Everyone out there should want to fight with you against Negan, not against you"

He finally stopped scanning the room like a madman for his gun and looked directly at her.

"Keep that in mind", She added for good measure. He peered down at Judith, who was placing random items she'd found around their room, into the cups of Michonne's bra to use as a hammock.

He smirked for only a second, then headed towards the door, "Fine. Let's go."

Even though he had agreed with her, he still held onto his original plan with both hands; he loaded himself with his gun and hatchet before they left their tension-filled home.

The community was no longer asleep, and residents were beginning their day with a sour look on their face; some patrolled the streets while others made their way to the crops and pantry. Rick marched passed them without so much as a glance in their direction, leaving it to Michonne to see who was evil eyeing him behind his back.

Daryl was stepping out of Carol's old unit when they were coming close to Deanna's. Michonne must have missed the silent line of communication they shared because the shaggy-haired man immediately closed the front door and stalked in their direction.

Michonne had a feeling that things could go terribly wrong if they didn't meet some kind of resolution. It was only just yesterday that Rick was convincing Ezekiel to go to war with them, and if the other leaders all agreed to join them then what good would it be if his own people were against him? She couldn't, and wouldn't accept that.

A tall, slender man opened the door to them when they arrived at Deanna's home. Michonne learned that his name was Reg, and he was Deanna's husband. They had a surviving son named Spencer who didn't make an appearance in the family's lounge that morning.

Rick insisted that the older couple took a seat so that he could explain what was going on, but Deanna insisted on shinning the light on Michonne first, "I haven't interviewed you before. I would know… But I've seen you around the community"

Michonne slowly nodded her head, "I came here with my daughters, my… then boyfriend and another couple, the Jacksons"

"Ah, I see", Deanna also nodded, "And what did you do before this?"

"...I was a lawyer", Michonne wasn't understanding where her line of questions were leading, "In Atlanta"

Reg peered at Rick and Daryl as he sat forward in the patterned recliner, "Oh, like the two of you"

"Yeah", Michonne exhaled, "Rick and I grew up in the same town"

Deanna's eyebrows rose, "Really?... Wow. What are the chances of you two running into each other all these years later?"

"That is _some_ luck", Reg agreed with his wife, "Especially in today's climate"

"Well in spite of everything that's happened recently", Deanne peaked in Rick's direction, "I hope that you and your daughters have settled into your unit"

"We really should find a job for you to do", Reg reached for a book and pen on the coffee table. Michonne began to frown at him when he opened it up and started flicking through the pages, "As a former lawyer, I think we could use your skills to help settle disputes¬"

"I'm sorry to interrupt", Rick didn't seem sorry at all, "But there's a group out there that are working for a man that wants to clear this place out. Take food from your mouths, take the clothes off your back and the furniture that you're sitting on, and then he wants you to provide him and his people with everythan' you can find for as long as he can use you, but you wanna' sit here and talk about jobs? That's your number one priority right now?"

Deanna and Reg reared back in shock.

Michonne didn't agree with Rick's delivery but she certainly agreed with the message. She expected them to start sniffing for the latest information following their return from the Kingdom, not her future job prospects.

"And to make matters worse, you might have people out there that are more interested in taking me on than the actual threat we have coming this way", Rick scoffed as he started to pace back and forth beside the couch, "That's why we're over here. That's what we came to discuss¬"

"Taking you on? Who?", Reg glanced at his wife as he asked Rick the question, "What's going on?"

"Now he asks", Daryl muttered from the corner of the room.

"I've noticed that a few people in the community haven't agreed with the way Rick is handling things here", Michonne explained calmly, "And I have reason to believe that they plan to do something about it"

Deanna rolled her eyes shut and sighed, "...I see"

"Who?", Reg clasped his hands together, "Who is it?"

"A few people", Michonne tried to describe them, "This morning I saw two dark-haired men, one of them looked like he was probably in his forties and the other was young, one big and one a little smaller¬"

"Bobby and Tommy", Deanna recalled easily, "Bobby came here from Washington…. Tommy was Carter's son. If I remember correctly, his father was killed on your mission to get that heard away from here… He'd always voiced his… concerns… with Rick"

Rick carelessly cocked his head to one side.

Michonne continued, "I think they might have been there when a few people were upset after Negan was here. They were angry and¬"

"And they had a right to be", A males voice entered the room before he did. A young male appeared moments later; he had dark hair and equally dark circles under his eyes. He peered around the room at everyone before his eyes landed on Rick, "Look what you've done to this place¬"

"Spencer", Deanna warned, "Calm down"

"No, mom", Spencer bit back, "You don't know what he's done¬ While the two of you have been locked up in here, I've been out there¬ I've seen how he treats people. I've seen how he just makes decisions for everyone without talking to everyone like we used to¬"

"Go ahead", Rick stopped pacing and faced him, "Get it off your chest"

Spencer spoke with a little less conviction, "You and your people ruined Alexandria¬"

"How?"

"...This place was a community before you got here. We worked together to get things done¬"

"You threw parties", Rick tilted his head as he made the mocking statement, "Gave people little uniforms and jobs to do, all while trying to hide what was going on beyond these walls from the people¬"

"We protected them. People had food on the table and a safe place to sleep at night¬"

"These same people couldn't protect themselves", Rick put some base in his voice, "Those same people couldn't protect their families. Those same people didn't know that there were men out there willing to do anythan' to get what they wanted. Those same people didn't have a damn idea how to survive, and some of you still don't"

Spencer's fierce brown eyes darted up and down Rick's face, "If you know how to survive so well then why are we in this mess with the Saviors?"

Rick took a small step closer, causing Reg and Deana to inch forward in their seats. He looked Spencer dead in the eyes as he said, "Because we agreed to help others, and don't you think for a minute that I'll ever regret that"

"Not even after it got your friends killed?"

Michonne stood up because she expected Rick to kill him. She expected him to pull his gun or hatchet free and murder Spencer on the spot, but he didn't do that. Instead, he simply said in his most menacing voice yet, "I wanna' hear you say that again"

Spencer didn't appear to back down, but he certainly didn't repeat himself either. Reg joined Michonne and rose from his seat, "Look, stop this now. This isn't how we settle things here¬"

"Reg is right", Deanna ejected firmly, "We can talk like civilized people, so we will talk like civilized people"

Rick slowly tore his ice-cold gaze away from Spencer, "You might wanna' stress that to your son here"

"I'm stressing it to both of you¬ to everyone", Deanna insisted sternly, "Now we know what the problem is, we need to come up with a way to fix it"

"We want to fight back against Negan", Michonne responded, "But we can't do that if we aren't doing it together. We need to show them that this is something we can do as a community."

Reg peered down at his wife, who looked at Michonne curiously, "Rick said that it's another group? How big?"

"We can get the numbers. We're working on it."

"They took our weapons"

"Not all of 'em", Daryl rapsed from his corner.

"I can't believe this", Spencer shook his head with disgust, "Mom, you saw those people¬"

"I did. Of course, I did", Deanna snapped, "They were in my home, rummaging through my things, your brother's things. I don't want that to happen again; not to me and not to anyone"

"Then we have to stop them", Michonne concluded, "That's our only answer. If we don't then they'll be here every week to do the same thing, over and over again until there's nothing left to take"

"If you won't listen to me", Rick sent Reg and Deanna a pointed look each, "Then listen to Michonne"

"What?", Spencer turned his attention to her, "My parents don't even know who she¬"

The angry young man hadn't even finished his sentence when Rick pulled his pistol free and aimed it between his eyes, only inches from his face.

"Rick!", Deanna sprung out of her seat, "No! Stop!"

"Put the gun down!", Reg ordered.

"This is just a warning", Rick explained calmly as he flicked the hammer with his thumb, "That was strike _two_."

Spencer was virtually translucent when Rick lowered his gun. Michonne actually saw the moment he started to breathe again.

Deanna huffed and puffed, while her husband slumped back into the chair with his head in the hands, "We can't work like this. We don't settle things like this¬"

"Out there we do", Daryl finally moved from his position, "Whatchu' think is, huh? This is some kinda' game? You think Negan and his boys are playin' games? Well, I got news for you; they ain't tryna' sit down and talk. They wanna' walk in here an' take our shit an' leave. It's as simple as that. You don't think we got anythan' worth fightin' for then I'd like to see anyone of Y'all go out there and find shit for them"

Reg and Deanna looked just as taken back by Daryl's speech as they had done to Ricks.

"Y'all wouldn't last lt two seconds out there", Daryl shot a mean look in Spencer's direction, "Especially you"

"...If we want things to go back to the way they were…", Michonne said softly as she spoke directly to Deanna, "Then we have stop people like Negan. We can't let him set the rules."

Michonne was sure that their conversation would have gone a lot smoother if there wasn't so much testosterone in the air. Deanna and Reg may have been a little naive and completely unprepared to deal with what was on their plate, but besides that, they were very rational people. She could understand why they were the previous leaders, and she could understand why they were no longer leaders.

Deanna finally gave them an answer with obvious reluctance, "...I'll agree to this under the condition that we wear out all our options first. If there's another way for us to deal with this then I insist that we give it a try before we start a war"

They were too far passed dealing with Negan another way, but Michonne agreed for the moment to keep the peace, "We understand."

Spencer showed how displeased he was with their conversation by stomping out of the room, and subsequently out of the house. Michonne was almost certain that he was involved with whatever planned uprising some of the residents had in mind. His frustrations towards Rick and his parents was all too clear.

They agreed to hold the meeting within the hour, which gave them time to spread the word throughout the town. Rick seemed to believe he had time to do other things too, "I want Rosita and Tara to be ready for thangs to change around here. Jesus and Aaron, too. If thangs go left then we need to be ready for that"

"On it", Daryl nodded once for confirmation then broke away from Rick and Michonne as they walked down the street.

"Hold on a minute", Michonne took Rick by the minute, "Have you already forgotten the point of today?"

"No, I haven't", He stopped walking and faced her, "I just like to be ready for the unexpected. You saw Spencer that back there; he's hyped up and ready to do somethan'¬"

"I know, but I'd rather we only had one angry little man to deal with than a group of them"

"Well if they make the wrong move then the only angry little man you'll have to worry about around here is me."

Michonne wasn't expecting his comment to turn into a light-hearted, self-deprecating joke. It made her smirk all the same, "You are enough."

There was a hint of a smile on his face, "...You hear Colette call me 'dad'?..."

"She did", Michonne slowly nodded her head, "I don't think she noticed"

"She didn't. She did it last night, too", He appeared genuinely pleased, "I think she's getting a little comfortable with me"

"I think so, too."

Both girls had settled into life with their father quite while, and Michonne was happy to see how their relationships went from strength to strength, but deep down she was a little envious. She still hadn't made much headway when it came to Carl, but she took pride in being able to make his son laugh so her efforts weren't completely at a loss.

They continued walking up the street to their home and saw that Elodie was sitting outside with Carl and Judith on the porch. Colette was nowhere in sight, and Michonne couldn't stand to see her daughters at odds. She could admit that she was a little more lenient with Colette since her injury because she knew that the teen was still adjusting to her new form, but allowing her to have her space was doing nothing for her relationship with her sister.

She could rest easy knowing that they were fiercely protective over each other whenever danger struck, but she wished they would show that kind of consideration to each other with or without a threat in the picture.

"Uh, Rick? Michonne?", Jessie Anderson called to them shortly after they passed her home, then did a little sprint to meet them in the street, "Hey, good morning"

"Morning", Michonne slowly turned around, while Rick only looked back from over his shoulder.

"Problem?", He asked suspiciously.

Jessie crossed her arms over her chest, "Uh¬ No, no problem... I wasn't sure if the kids told you but I stopped by the house with Ron while you were gone¬"

"We know", She had Rick's full attention when she mentioned her son. Michonne tried not to sigh; she could see he was gearing up to voice his biased and unwarranted opinion on the Anderson teen.

"Well it's just that, I spoke to Ron right after we spoke", Jessie looked in Michonne's direction, "And I think that this all seems pretty innocent between the two of them, and all the kids are really good friends so I don't have a problem with the two of them hanging out together"

Rick began to shake his head, "Well I don't¬"

" _We_ ", Michonne ejected quickly, "Agree. They can hang out together but we just don't want to catch anyone trying to sneak out at night again"

Jessie slowly nodded her head, "Yeah. Of course not… And I hope you don't mind that I took Ron over there¬ We didn't stay long but he wanted to say 'Hi'¬"

"That's fine, and thank you for bringing them dinner", Michonne could tell that Rick was annoyed by the way he looked away from both of them, "We appreciate it"

"Oh, it's nothing", Jessie waved her hand, "I had some left over so I¬"

"Was you with Bobby this morning?", Rick asked bluntly as he faced her again.

Jessie's smile faded away and she crossed her arms tighter around her chest, "...I may have been, Why?"

"Is he still there?"

"No. He should be on duty… Why? Is there a problem?"

Rick glanced at Michonne, then asked, "You noticed anythan' off about him?"

The creases in Jessie's brows softened and she quickly appeared confused, "Off? What do you mean by off?"

Michonne's gaze darted to a figure in the distance; it was the young man she'd seen earlier in the morning. Rick had noticed him too, and they both watched Tommy lower his head and walk back the way he came when he spotted the three of them in the street. She looked at Rick and simply said, "Later."

It took him a short while to finally tear his gaze away from the young man's back, but when he did he agreed, "Yeah."

They parted ways with a baffled Jessie and made their way home, where Michonne tampered with the idea of taking her Katana with her to the meeting.

She didn't want to, and she didn't like to think that she had to, but Rick wasn't the only person with a temper so there was the chance that she'd need it, especially if her suspicions came true.

She dreaded the thought that someone would want to hurt him. While Negan was an enemy and hell-bent on showing them who the boss was, Michonne could see that he liked tussling with Rick. He enjoyed having a strong opponent because it gave him a chance to exercise his own strength and power, which lead her to believe that he was in no rush to kill him, but she couldn't say the same for the residents.

They might want him dead, and that was something that she simply couldn't allow. She didn't want anyone to die or even be injured, but if push came to shove then she was more than willing to stop any of the residents in their path.

"Why can't I come?", Carl was visibly annoyed when his father told him that he'd have to stay home during the town meeting.

"Because I'd prefer that you stayed here", Rick checked the barrel of his pistol as he answered his son, "If anythan' happens then¬"

"Then you might need my help", Carl pushed, "You've needed my help before and I've been there"

Michonne tried to make it seem that she was listening from the living area, but she certainly was. She found it sweet that the boy was always keen to stand by his father; she could even remember the first time that she ever laid eyes on him. He looked like a miniature version of Rick, holding his gun in his hands and aiming directly at Dominic.

"Elodie and Colette can stay here with Judith. They'll protect her if something does happen", Carl continued, "So let me come with you, please?"

Michonne heard Rick inhale deeply. The fact that he didn't rush to tell his son 'no', let her know that he was considering it, and she quickly learned that she was right.

He finally replied, "Fine, but you stay up front where I can see you. And bring your¬

"I got it. I always have it."

Michonne felt as though she could finally leave the room and remind them of her presence, just as Elodie came down the stairs with Judith teetering in front of her. She gave her daughter a small smile, "We're going in a little while"

"Okay. You won't be long though, right?", Elodie let go of Judith's hand so she could make a beeline for her father, "There's a bug in my bedroom and I can't get it out"

Michonne gave her a little frown, "...Did you try?"

Elodie nodded a little too enthusiastically, indicating that she was lying, "Yeah…"

Michonne smirked as she smoothed back the wild curls at the top of Elodie's head, "Yeah, right. Ask Colette. She doesn't mind that stuff"

Elodie didn't look impressed, "Maybe when she stops _hating_ me"

"She doesn't hate you. She's just being a little dramatic at the moment and she'll calm down soon enough", Michonne insisted tenderly, "You both can be pretty dramatic at times¬"

"Not me. I'm the reasonable one."

Michonne gave her a blank stare as she said in a dry tone, "Oh, of course. I must be mistaken then."

Elodie pursed her lips to hide her smile but ended up giggling anyway, and Michonne giggled with her.

Rick had picked Judith up and was showering her with some parting affection when Colette came out of her new room with her dreaded sweatshirt on. She was clearly still annoyed with her family because the hood was up and the drawstring was pulled around her face. Michonne internally groaned before she said to Elodie, "The two of you have to watch Judith while we're gone"

"Alright", Elodie shrugged, "No problem"

Michonne pulled her sheath strap over her head, "And hold off for the potty training for a while. I caught her staring at the toilet in our bathroom this morning and I'd never seen her look so scared"

Elodie cringed, "She didn't fall all the way in. Just a little..."

Rick came over to them and handed Judith to Elodie as he asked Michonne, "Ready?"

She nodded, "Yeah. Let's go."

Rick was right to feel the way he did about the residents, but that only became clear to Michonne when they left the home. They had made it to the bottom of their porch steps when they noticed a small handful of residents, led by Spencer, marching in their direction. Other residents that were heading to the chapel for the town meeting had stopped to see what was happening. Rick peaked at Michonne from over his shoulder and arched his eyebrow as if to say, 'See?'

She wouldn't throw in the towel just yet. She stoically placed herself beside him.

The five men and one woman stopped short of a few feet away from them. Michonne didn't see any weapons but she didn't take that as a reason to believe they didn't have any concealed. Spencer stepped forward and said, "You need to step down. We don't want you as a leader here anymore"

"Is that right?", Rick narrowed his eyes at him, "Is it just the six of you that feel that way?"

"We want to hold a vote. If everyone agrees then you leave", Spencer stood firm. Michonne checked for Carl; he was on the other side of Rick, glaring at the people in front of them. She looked back towards the house and saw the twins in the doorway, Elodie holding Judith on her hip while Colette was protectively standing in front of them. She would have preferred that none of them were there to witness the disagreement but she had to face it; they'd seen worse.

Rick tilted his head just a little, as though he were actually considering the proposition, "And if they don't?"

Spencer shook his head, "That's not an outcome that we see happening. We're all sick of you¬"

"What is going on here?", Deanna asked angrily as she stomped her way up the pavement, followed by her husband.

"Alright, hold your vote", Rick prompted coolly, "Everyone's already out here so ask them, right now. Go ahead."

Spencer glanced at his parents, "They know what's going to happen. They know that you're all going to try and talk everyone into siding with him¬"

"We're sick of this Deanna", Bobby added from behind Spencer, "We want our community back the way it was; with you and Reg in charge¬"

"And what do you think's gonna' happen with the Saviors?", Rick took a small step forward, "Even if you cast your vote and kick me out of here, what's your plan then?"

"We can strike up our own deal with him", Spencer replied firmly.

Michonne's annoyed reaction to his response showed all over her face, while Rick was so shocked that he smirked, "A deal? You wanna' make a deal with them?"

"If it ensures our safety, then yeah, we do"

"Ensures your safety?", Rick moved a little closer, "I think you mean that if it ensures that you don't have to fight"

Spencer spluttered his words everywhere, "Not everything is a fight!"

"Now that's where you're wrong!", Rick shot back, "Everything in this world is a fight now, whether it's against walkers or it's man against man. If you want anythan' at all then you have to fight for it, and that includes your safety! Making a deal with Negan won't ensure that. All you'll be doing is agreeing to work for him"

Spencer shifted uncomfortably, "That's still better than leading everyone to their deaths"

"And you think that sending people out on runs to find food for them is any different?", Rick squinted at him, "Have you forgotten how your own brother died?"

Spencer smoothed out of realization, while his father took the opportunity to speak, "Look, we planned to talk about this so why don't we all head over to the chapel and do that. We can all voice our concerns there¬"

"We still haven't had our vote", Bobby pointed out roughly, causing a woman at his side to nod her head in agreement.

Michonne noticed Daryl appear from the corner of her eye; he was followed by Rosita, Tara, Heath, Scott and a worried looking Aaron. She didn't let them distract her too much but she was secretly pleased to have some familiar back up.

Deanna spoke up, "You are all obviously very upset but this isn't the way we do things¬"

"We haven't done things the way we do things here since he turned up", Spencer had gathered himself together, "We deserve a vote! We deserve the right to choose who we want to lead us¬"

"You heard the man", Rick commanded everyone's attention, "If you think that I'm wrong, and you want the chance to see what it would be like to work for Negan¬ to see how it feels to risk your lives out there and scavenge for food and supplies that aren't even for you or your family… or to spend time growing crops that you won't even get to enjoy, or to get sick and not even have the medication you need… then raise your hand. And I don't say that so you'll all side with me, I say that because that's what will happen if we don't fight back"

The other residents didn't move even a digit, but they did look around them to see if anyone did agree with the hell that Rick had described. Surprisingly, Jessie Anderson spoke up, "None of us want that. None of us want a repeat of last time. We still haven't even recovered¬ All that food in the pantry should be for us, not them"

Michonne appreciated the input. It ignited others to speak and Tobin soon followed suit, "That guy Negean seems like he'd kill one of us just for the fun of it, even if we did make a deal with him"

"It wouldn't be a deal", Heath declared sternly, "It would be an agreement. An agreement to give him what he wants"

"We want to talk about this", Deanna tried desperately to regain some kind of order, "Please, can everyone just¬"

"Hold on a minute¬", Spencer held up his hands to stop them, "That's not what we're voting for here¬"

"Uh, yeah it is", Tara scoffed, "You heard the people; we want to fight back¬"

"No!", Spencer snapped. He peered at his parents for help but they both appeared to be more shocked at his behavior than what others had to say. He aimed an angry finger towards the ground, "The point of this was to get Rick to step down as leader¬"

"If you think that I'm stepping down then you're mistaken", Rick stepped closer to him, leading Michonne to clear her throat rather loudly. She knew that his patience was wearing thin with Spencer but Tara was right, the residents had spoken and they were all in favor of their cause. They were heading in the right direction and she didn't want them to veer off track. Rick stopped moving but he kept talking, "It's clear that you don't wanna' do anythan' because you're afraid, and you might not like the way that I do thangs but everythan' I do is to ensure that this place is still standing. I'm no different from anyone else here, I have a family that I wanna' protect just as much as the next person and in order to do that you have to stop being afraid and you have to stop thinking about your damn self"

Spencer shook his head adamantly, "I think about this community more than you do¬"

"It seems that you, and your friends here..", Rick peered behind the tall young man to see his small group of followers, "...Are more hung up on me and what I'm doing, and not what will happen if Negan has his way around here? I can't see the sense in that, and I can't see this place standing much longer if someone like you got your way¬"

"Well I don't care what you think", Spencer reached behind his back and pulled out a small, black pistol, causing everyone to gasp and back away. Michonne slowly raised her hand towards her Katana.

"Spencer!", Deanna cried, "Stop!"

"You don't need to do that son!", Reg inched closer, "We were all listening to what you have to say¬"

Spencer's arm didn't tremble, "No, you're not! You're all listening to him!"

"I must have hit a nerve when I pointed my gun at you earlier", Rick hadn't moved, possibly because it wasn't the first time he had a gun aimed between his eyes.

"You don't have me fooled. You never had me fooled. I've been watching you from day one¬ You lead Carter to his death, you lead Nicolas to his death and now you want to do the same with everyone else¬", Spencer was so engrossed with having his say that it gave Rick the opportunity to knock his arm away to one side. Spencer squeezed the trigger out of reflex and the gunshot caused some to scream and others to duck out the way. Michonne pulled her weapon free while Rick used his body to shove Spencer to the floor; Michonne stomped on his hand so he'd release the gun and kicked it towards Daryl. Even Carl had his gun drawn and aimed it at Spencer.

"I bet that didn't go the way you planned", Rick sounded highly annoyed as he pulled his own pistol free. He leered at the rest of Spencers troup, "Anyone else?"

They stepped back innocently with their hands raised. Bobby shook his head as he spoke timidly, "N-no¬ We didn't agree to that¬"

Judith's wail told them that there was something wrong. She sounded like a siren. Michonne immediately backed away and looked towards the front porch; she couldn't see anyone standing by the open door but she did see movement through the porch rail. Someone was on the floor. Panic struck her core with such a force that she dropped her katana and hurried towards them.

The girls were still by the door. Colette was on her knees with her back towards the entry. Judith was holding her head to indicate that she was hurt, while her other one hand rested on Elodie's stomach. The little girl had red freckles on her face but it wasn't her blood. Colette had blood on her hand and sweatshirt, but it wasn't her blood either. It all came from the gaping wound where Elodie's eye used to be.


End file.
